Nobody ever says they are ecstatic about taking a standardized test. In fact, for most students, testing can be dreadful. Not only that, but testing has also become an inadequate way to examine a student’s knowledge. Standardized testing provides immense and unnecessary pressure on the students, teachers, and administrators..

   SAT, ACT, GATE Testing, STAR Testing, SBAC testing — so many names and acronyms, and yet those are just a fraction of the tests students will take throughout their academic careers. Not to mention the tests and quizzes they take for individual courses or classes that could occur anywhere from monthly, to weekly, or even daily. Testing has become a staple in the educational system, but are there any actual benefits to the students?

   According to an educational news website, Education Next, the mania behind testing can be traced back to the No Child Left Behind Act, first signed by President Bush and then continued by the Obama administration through the Race to the Top Act. Prior to this, kids took one standardized test a year. The scores would be utilized only to be seen as a form of a student’s achievement. However, the concern behind more underperforming schools grew, so the Presidential Acts were established (educationnext.org). These Acts were instilled to give the government an easy way to view a school’s performance. They would base the schools’ and teachers’ performance upon the student scores on state standardized tests. This was thought to be the best way to distribute funding throughout the schools across America.

   Unfortunately, as UC High Teacher Aaron Pores stated, “Rather than the Race to the Top Act rewarding good teaching, it began to punish underperforming schools and started considering them as failing schools.” This put pressure on school administrations because they want to maximize their funding, which led to more pressure on the teachers to teach the students the information they would need to know for the standardized tests. Ultimately, the pressure trickled down onto the students to perform well on yet another test that would have no major effects nor benefits on their future or personal academic career. Despite their insignificance, numerous hours of class time have wasted on these tests.

   According to the Harvard Political Review, “Schools and administrators have also pressured low-performing students to drop out or enter special education programs in order to raise overall test scores. According to a 2010 report from the civil rights organization Advancement Project, ‘the practice of pushing struggling students out of school to boost test scores has become quite common’” (harvardpolitics.com). The fact that students are being encouraged to leave a school or end their education early by their teachers and administrators, the people who should be supporting them, is utterly disgusting. Education has turned into a business; it’s all about funding, numbers, and scores, not about teaching and inspiring the young minds of America.

   This focus on testing and scores may have influenced what goes on with students in the classroom  too. The pressure has led a great many students to focus less on learning the material and more on memorization. “Students don’t learn in class. We go home and study so we can do well on our tests and then forget all the information after. The pressure is to get good grades, not to actually learn,” said Junior Curtis Whitehurst. Learning in this day and age is almost like catch-and-release fishing — students grab ahold of the information, hold on long enough to pass the test, and then release the information to make room for the material on the next exam.

   UC High Teacher Phillip Huszar praised UC High Principal Jeff Olivero for endorsing the EOS program at UC High. This program is designed to aid as well as benefit the students’ mental and emotional wellbeing. Huszar  said, “People are complex. People have emotional, intellectual, and psychological needs. So what are we providing for our students on a day to day basis? Do they feel good about what they are doing? Do they feel like when they come to school their teachers care about them?” So why are students forced to take so many standardized tests, on top of the ones they take in their classes? It only causes stress, anxiety, breakdowns, and more? The cons outweigh the pros on the topic of testing.

   To reiterate, the amount of testing that students must partake in, in order to be successful in school, takes a toll on both the level of education the students receive and a toll on the students’ mental health. It also puts pressure on administrators and teachers to focus more on the funding and scores and less on the learning. The amount of testing students are required to take must be reduced