Every year students all across the country prepare to take standardized tests that are supposed to measure the level of competency based on the testers application of knowledge and skills. However, within the past few years, questions of the legitimacy of these standardized tests and whether they truly measure how much a student has actually learned have been raised. Though the government has attempted to standardize the education system to provide students with the basic skills set to maintain a decent lifestyle, the failure and loopholes throughout our standardized system have remained present, begging the question: What is our government trying to achieve?

 “American students fall behind in core subjects.” “Education system in the United States is causing students to fail.” These are some headlines seen when researching the American education system.

However, what exactly is “failing?”

According to standardized tests, a 70 percent or higher is considered “passing,” but what does that mean in the long run?

On one end, by implementing a standardized curriculum a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that everyone should know is created. The test also allows the government to easily hold teachers and the state accountable. Our government will be able to know if students are learning by the number of students that pass the standardized tests.

However on the other end, if less emphasis was placed on standardized test material, teachers are allowed to teach students at their own pace and apply real-world applications that won’t necessarily be tested by the government. In this case, the role of standardized testing is reduced where rather than testing a student’s ability to pass, the test can simply measure their basic knowledge.

Though the United States may be falling behind compared to other countries in testing performance, the government’s basic role is to ensure that a student is educated in the important matters of life.

But, so what? Of course it’s important to be educated and we need to know how to do certain things, but where does the role of standardized testing come in? Standardized testing allows the government and educators to determine whether a student is learning what is vital in school. However, some argue that a standardized curriculum doesn’t allow the freedom of learning what truly matters in life. And so if standardized testing were to continue, will we be lacking the education to maintain a decent lifestyle? The short answer is no.

Many people often emphasize that learning should be focused on the individual because everyone learns at a different pace and the education system should be adjusted to meet those needs. But if we were to make adjustments, standardized testing still play a role on how much a student knows.

The same applies for tests, such as the ACT or SAT, that are taken if you plan to pursue a post-secondary education. Though these tests might not measure a student’s intelligence, colleges and universities need something to determine whether a student is deemed fit for the school. High school grades are important too, but there is a varying degree of grade inflation or deflation that may not represent the students well.

And thus, though we might not like standardized testing, it is the only way the government can efficiently measure the knowledge and skills of a student. Although these tests shouldn’t define who you are as a student, remember that these are the certain standards that need to be met and the government wants to know if you can meet them. It sucks that the government has to figure out our intelligence based off of one test but let’s face it: they have to figure it out some way.