Should standardized testing be the primary method to assess educational achievement globally?

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It is reported a 4% increase in SAT
test
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takers from 2018, with over 2.2 million
students
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taking the exam(College Board, 2019). Globally, there is an increasing trend that a significant number of
students
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register for standardized
tests
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such
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as IELTS and SAT. These standardized
tests
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are seen as a measure of student
abilities
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, helping them open doors for future opportunities
such
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as studying abroad and applying for scholarships. There is an opinion that standardized testing should be the official method to assess educational achievement globally and
therefore
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ought to spread
further
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.
However
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, standardized testing methods are not optimal because of validity and reliability issues and these
exams
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promote superficial learning.   The first reason why standardized testing should be reformed is
due to
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its validity and reliability issues. Proponents of standardized
exams
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argue that these
tests
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provide an objective way of student performance, providing a standard line for uniform comparisons across different educational systems. Standardized multiple-choice
tests
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are considered uniform because they are machine-scored, eliminating the subjectivity of external factors.
However
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, the individuals who construct these assessments have significant influence over the content and questions included. Meanwhile,
test
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developers are often disconnected from the classroom experience, resulting in a disconnect between the
test
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material and what
students
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have actually learned, thereby introducing biases into the evaluation process.
Moreover
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, the determination of correct responses is subjective, as it relies on predefined criteria that may vary across different contexts.
In other words
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, these opinions fail to account for cultural differences and diverse learning styles, which can disadvantage
students
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from numerous backgrounds. Meadows and Karr-Kidwell (2001) stated that “standardized
test
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publishers do not know the
students
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for which they are designing the
test
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.
Test
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-writers can
also
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make mistakes. Sometimes questions have two correct answers or none at all”.
This
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means that if
students
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choose two answers or leave an empty answer, there is no evidence
to conclude
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their weak
abilities
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.
For example
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,
students
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in America learn history from an
American’s
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American
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perspective,
thus
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they can have some different cultural norms, ideologies,
values
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and values
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compared to Vietnamese
students
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. American
students
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can be taught to promote equality and freedom which reflects their political values,
in contrast
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, the Vietnamese lens of history mainly focuses on patriotism and collective effort to fight the war. When a standardized
test
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includes content
of
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from
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American cultural contexts, Vietnamese
students
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might struggle, even if they are equally capable.
As a result
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, the reliance on standardized
exams
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as a marker of assessing student’s
abilities
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should be reconsidered.    
Secondly
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, standardized
tests
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could encourage superficial learning rather than fostering a deeper understanding of knowledge. Supporters of standardized
exams
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claim that
such
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assessments prepare
students
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with a clear guideline for studying, thereby promoting active learning. Marzano (2003) explains that well-defined assessment standards serve as a guide for
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students'
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students
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learning, encouraging curriculum adherence and comprehensive knowledge acquisition.
Otherwise
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, in reality, standardized testing often leads to a focus on rote memorization and "teaching to the
test
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", which undermines deeper learning and critical thinking. To explain,
students
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are taught to remember the trick to solve more problems as machines to get a higher grade in an exam, resulting in
students
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being able to address similar problems they have learned.
While
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this
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might improve grades temporarily, it limits their ability to apply the knowledge to unfamiliar or complex scenarios. "Measuring student ability is not as straightforward as changing independent variables in an experiment, manually written questions can be interpreted differently, leading to varied interpretations despite similar academic
abilities
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" Kohn (2000).
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coherence cohesion
To improve coherence and cohesion, consider linking your ideas with clearer transitional phrases. This would help guide the reader more smoothly through your argument.
introduction conclusion
Include a brief conclusion that summarizes your main points and restates your position on the issue. This will help wrap up your essay neatly.
task achievement
While your examples are relevant, try to include a wider variety of examples from different sources or contexts to enrich your argument even further.
task achievement
The essay provides a thorough task response, clearly discussing both the potential benefits and drawbacks of standardized testing.
supported main points
The use of scholarly sources, such as Meadows and Karr-Kidwell, effectively supports the argument about the biases and validity issues of standardized tests.
logical structure
The main points are clearly organized and supported with specific examples, making the essay easy to follow and understand.

Include an introduction and conclusion

A conclusion is essential for IELTS writing task 2. It is more important than most people realise. You will be penalised for missing a conclusion in your IELTS essay.

The easiest paragraph to write in an essay is the conclusion paragraph. This is because the paragraph mostly contains information that has already been presented in the essay – it is just the repetition of some information written in the introduction paragraph and supporting paragraphs.

The conclusion paragraph only has 3 sentences:

  • Summary
  • Restatement of thesis
  • Prediction or recommendation

Example:

To summarize, a robotic teacher does not have the necessary disciple to properly give instructions to students and actually works to retard the ability of a student to comprehend new lessons. Therefore, it is clear that the idea of running a classroom completely by a machine cannot be supported. After thorough analysis on this subject, it is predicted that the adverse effects of the debate over technology-driven teaching will always be greater than the positive effects, and because of this, classroom teachers will never be substituted for technology.

Start your conclusion with a linking phrase. Here are some examples:

  • In conclusion
  • To conclude
  • To summarize
  • Finally
  • In a nutshell
  • In general

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