- Question
Should standardised testing be abolished
Should standardised testing be done away with? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that standardised testing should be abolished, and that it should not — weighing fairness and stress against accountability and comparison.
Yes, standardized testing should be abolished
Proponents of this position hold that standardised testing should be abolished: that the scores track a student's circumstances as much as their ability, that preparing for the tests displaces real teaching, and that single measurements carry consequences they cannot bear.
No, standardized testing should not be abolished
Those who hold this position argue that standardised testing should not be abolished: that a common measure is what lets an outsider be recognised, that the alternatives rely on judgements favouring the well-connected, and that the problems lie in how scores are used.