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Chantelle Beeslaar

ENG-112-12

23 April 2013

Megan Keaton

Argumentative Essay

Who should be responsible for students failing standardized tests? Many people is to

blame for the poor test scores on state exams especially the government and teachers. Students

around the world have been failing required tests that are provided by the government and the

teachers, who have set a high expectation on their academic standards causing students to stress

and do poorly on state exams. To take notice of this matter, students and their parents will be

having a conference with the Board of Education to assure this issue that may result in an

educational change. However, authors Kirk Fallis and Kristina Ritga argue that students are the

blame for failing themselves and not the government nor teachers. How will the board of

education improve the failing scores?

The Government is the biggest concern that students face when it comes to doing a poor

job on standardized tests. The results that government officials expect are far beyond what

students make. The reason behind this is because the governments set academic levels for each

student taking a state exam and expect teachers to educate them based on books given to schools

around the U.S. But not only do students have to meet state requirements the schools themselves

have to do so as well. In addition to providing students with a high academic level, the

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government impacts a student’s success in a negative way by believing that all students are the

same when it comes to education and learning. As a result of this assumption, students fail their

standardized tests based on the fact that not every student can achieve the educational

requirements on state exams provided by the government. If students from different country’s

attend U.S schools, how is setting a high academic standard for the entire school guiding foreign

exchange students to a better education? Even though, the government may be expecting high

academic standards from students; teachers are intended to guide and assist students for these

state exams but have failed to do so. If the government officials will allow teachers the authority

to teach their own way, students would experience a much more enjoyable educational

environment than that of just being taught by a book. Being entertained and enjoying the

education teachers teach on their own can decrease the dropout rates of many high schools

around the U.S.

Students are the blame for failing themselves. They have the opportunity to educate

themselves into getting a decent job that will raise the economy and provide knowledge for

society. If students would avoid drama from friends and set apart the distractions in life, they can

set forth a goal into passing standardized tests. Because they have the ability to use the tutoring

sessions for state exams as a study guide to improve their test scores. Many school campuses

offer tutoring sessions where students can ask question when they are in need of help. Most of

these tutoring sessions are hosted by the school staff that has a history of standardized tests. On

the other hand, the distractions of friends are not the only interruptions of a student’s study habits

or educational career. The parent’s reactions and emotions toward their children are a result of

pressuring students to the point of failure. Students who have rough lives at home may be

impacted from learning in schools because of the arguments of education from parents. The

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Parents of these students take matters into their own hands when it comes to education and may

even be punishing these students for having low grades. How are students supposed to focus on

passing their state exams at the end of the year when their parents are pressuring them rather than

supporting them? Most parents tend to keep things old fashion by parenting the way their parents

taught them and when it comes to punishing a child for wrong doing violence seemed normal.

Using violent force on students who do tend to get a low grade now and then can result in an

avoidance of education. Therefore, students and parents are to blame for low test scores.

Failing state exams affect a student’s life so dramatically especially high school students.

The reason for this dramatic change is the result that students may not be able to get accepted

into a high college because of poor test scores. The lack of wanting to learn and getting educated

to become something in the new society has become common to most high school students.

Based on the fact that students have to actually put effort in while studying for a standardized

tests has influenced them and their friends in a way to where education doesn’t even matter

anymore. The stress levels of students have been so high that they tend to give up easily rather

than look ahead toward their future. Not being able to get accepted into Colleges can end a

student’s career and have the education provided for them end. Students should be able to realize

how important test scores are to them and they need to take advantage of learning centers like the

library to help guide them to a successful educational career in colleges. These standardized tests

aren’t necessarily just for high school students but that goes for college students as well. When

being accepted into a college, students are required to take an Accuplacer test to define their

knowledge on what the colleges may be expecting of them. These tests are similar to a

standardized test but are they considered to be required by the state or the colleges themselves?

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Many questions unfold when it comes to who should really be the blame for students who

do a poor job on their standardized tests. If the school systems is so dysfunctional and failing to

meet the requirements to educate the newer generation of students then how would the school

system fail itself? Well if the school system fails themselves then how are students and

governments supposed to acknowledge that they may really be a failing school? Because of the

horrible decisions made by students to cut or skip class, the school as a whole becomes

unsuccessful. If students have the drive to become successful in life, they can have the success of

their education by going to class and studying for state exams. This leaves everyone asking, if

students are responsible for making low test scores on state tests? Students shouldn’t be the

blame for their own low tests scores because they are not the ones who are intended to make up a

standardized test on a reasonable academic level across the globe.

Do you think the government wants to fail their own students? Because that’s why they

do indeed have academic standards and certain state exams for students. The government didn’t

expect to have high academic standards for students it’s just essential by law. As a result of these

set standards, the school system wouldn’t even have such a high dropout rate for high schools.

Because of these high expectations by the government, students have decided to avoid school as

a whole and drop out. If teachers were given the authority to make their classroom more

entertaining for students this problem of skipping class and dropping out wouldn’t exist.

Overall, the decision on blaming either the government or students for these low

academic test scores need to come to an end so a discussion can be brought about for the board

of education. This matter needs to be presented in a way where this issue can have areas to focus

on. Having the Board of Education aware of the problems can motivate officials to change things

around by giving teachers the authority to teach students the way students would like to be

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educated rather from what the governments would prefer. Once being aware of the situations the

Board of Education will then be provided with statistics to back up any information given to

them that will state the failing standardized test scores. The poor test scores have increased

rapidly in the past decade and has caused schools to become a failing school. Some school

systems in Minnesota, Massachusetts and North Carolina have been known to be a failing

school. Suggestions on how to decrease failing school systems will be given to the board to open

their eyes at what type of issues have led to the failing of these schools.

The fact that the government does have a role into those students that do fail their state

tests has triggered the education system to flop as a whole. Rather than looking for

improvements, officials have been avoiding change in the educational system and need to start

blaming the wrong doings of the government and the teachers who do work for them. Authors

Dylan, Deborah, and Ben all plan on advising the board of education into improving government

state tests for students by asking to lower the academic standards for students who may be

coming from different country’s known as foreign exchange students as well as the struggling

students in society today. The governments will guide teachers into the right path of teaching

their students by having to avoid students who skip class and end up dropping out of school. At

the end of it all, students will be assisted and prepared for standardized tests in a more

professional matter which will raise their grades and the schools grade as a whole.

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Work Cited

Archer, Deborah N. "Failing Students or Failing Schools? Holding States Accountable For The

High School Dropout Crisis." Lewis & Clark Law Review 12.4 (2008): 1253-1265.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.

Fallis, R. Kirk, and Susan Opotow. "Are Students Failing School Or Are Schools Failing

Students? Class Cutting In High School." Journal of Social Issues 59.1 (2003): 103-119.

Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Rizga, Kristina. "Everything You've Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong." Mother Jones 37.5

(2012): 50-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Wildavsky, Ben. "The Question Is: Are Tests Failing The Kids?." U.S. News & World Report

130.20 (2001): 23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.

Wiliam, Dylan. "Standardized Testing And School Accountability." Educational Psychologist

45.2 (2010): 107-122. Print. 28 Mar. 2013.