The Truth About Teaching to Standardized Tests

I asked my mother for help on this paper.

"You see," I told her, "what I'm trying to say is…"

"Nevermind that," she immediately cut me off. "What does your teacher want you to say?"

Today's education system promotes this kind of thinking, or lack thereof: kids are no longer required to think for themselves. Mary Lohnes, a teacher, notes that "if you ask students why they don't feel comfortable exploring their ideas they will tell you openly that they have been taught to provide answers, not explanations" (Education Week). Instead of learning how to figure things out for themselves and exploring topics that interest them, students are learning how to answer questions and get good grades. When these kids go on to "the real world" - as opposed to the specially created question-answer world of their schools - they are presented with problems that they have not been taught how to face. The formula their teachers drilled into their heads does them no good if they don't know how to apply it. As a result, in typical American fashion, people are searching for someone to blame. And the verdict is in. The culprit? Standardized tests.