Each year, SHS students are required to partake in state testing. But, are these tests really beneficial to our students?

“No, the tests are not necessary because they stress me out,” said Katie Appel, 9.

A five year University of Maryland study found that some teachers felt the pressure to teach for tests, affecting the assignments students were given.

Additionally, standardized tests only measure a small variety of topics.

Late education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, PhD claims that standardized tests cannot measure all qualities of a student, such as creativity, motivation, critical thinking, and much more.

“I think there is too much testing,” said Rhys Waddell, 10.

The full student is not taken into account on these tests. But, there are some benefits to the testing.

Some may go as far as to say, “Bless the Tests,” due to their objectivity. Students are assessed on similar questions to their peers, and are graded by a machine, or blind reviewer.

Thus, the test is created to be given and graded equally for all students.

The State of Ohio has replaced PARCC testing with AIR testing.

There is some testing required, due to the No Child Left Behind Act. But, that only requires one year of testing in high school.

Despite this, testing is a good way to monitor how a school is doing academically, and how students are learning.

“I think state testing is necessary because it helps us get feedback on what students are good at in certain subjects. However, the amount the state tests us is unnecessary,” said Kaitlynn Herzog, 11.