The use of standardized tests increased tremendously after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, establishing annual testing in all 50 states. Although standardized tests, such as the STAAR, may seem to be proven effective, there are many flaws in the system. For example, youths who are proven special ed students have to take the SAME test as regular students. Also, students who grow up taking tests don’t actually learn the proper qualities and skills they need to be successful adults. For these reasons, I believe that standardized tests are discriminatory and unfair for students.

Qualified special ed students take the same exact STAAR test as normal students in the same grade. According to The Federal Register, “The Secretary amends the regulations governing Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (the “Title I regulations”), to no longer authorize a State to define modified academic achievement standards and develop alternate assessments based on those modified academic achievement standards for eligible students with disabilities.”

Also, students who take tests the whole childhood don’t really learn the life skill needed to perform actual adult tasks in their soon-to-be everyday life. According to Jiang Xueqin’s, ‘The Test Chinese Schools Still Fail’, “Chinese schools are very good at preparing their students for standardized tests. For that reason, they fail to prepare them for higher education and the knowledge economy.”

There are MANY flaws in the standardized testing system. Those flaws include discrimination towards certain students and the fact that students aren’t learning the necessary skills. For these exact reasons (and many more), the STAAR test; in fact, ALL standardized tests should be completely OBLITERATED!