Is It Coachable?
Many people say that standardized tests are the only way to measure the knowledge and aptitude of students. Since everyone is taking the same test and the test is graded usually by a machine, there is nothing that will affect the test score besides the student taking the test. What people who have this point of view do not consider is that the amount of income a family has can affect the test scores. "Higher income families are investing more money and time in their children which can translate into extra classes and activities, or tutors"(Donald 1). Many students who have the money to afford tutors or "testing coaches" will score better despite their real knowledge. These "testing coaches" will not teach them any new knowledge at all, but instead teach them how to beat the test. These skills taught to the students by the tutors have a direct correlation to their test scores. "The gap in test scores between the higher income and low-income children has grown by about 40 percent" (Donald 1). If these lower income students could also have these tutors, then their test scores would be very close or the same as the wealthy students. These standardized tests must be terminated because of their lack to provide a fair way to determine the aptitude between all students.