Quote Sandwiches

#1 Although I have found a lot of research that has been done on the effects of standardized testing, I wanted to hear actual experience from someone who went through the the process of taking a standardized test.  My opening question to begin the interview was to find out her experiences with standardized tests as a student and a teacher.  She did not have much experience with standardized tests as a teacher, but she did have a lot to say on the topic from the perspective of a student, "I remember having to do an exit exam where I had to write a paper, and I remember it being a very negative experience... I did very poorly on the writing, but my essays in class were very good so I felt like it wasn't a fair representation of what I could do as a writer because you're put on the spot within that moment to perform." Garcia's response actually agrees with most of the research I have found. Many students perform poorly on the tests because of the stress of being put on the spot to perform. However, these test scores do not reflect their real abilities and only shows the one time they did poorly.

#2 "I think there are some benefits to standardized tests because it does kind of give students from an early age an idea of what it's like to function in the real world... we're always being tested no matter what we're doing and so thats... kind of a reality check.

#3 "I do think that some students are at a predisposition to be at a disadvantage. Especially students who are at a low socio-economic environment. They may not have the same resources as students who are in a well-to-do environment where their parents are able to pay for them to get extra tutoring to prepare them for tests..."

#4 "I think [standardized testing] can affect early on students self-esteem and self-worth if they're not performing well... and that can kind of shut them down to maybe furthering their education."

#5 "It can limit students understanding of what getting an education is."

#6 "I don't know if I want to blame the students or the teachers, but more the system."

#7 "I think that they could take on more of a multiple measures approach... they can take into consideration the students tests scores and maybe GPA... and then maybe even have their instructors write a reflection about them as a student and their progress. Considering all those things rather than just a test... would be a better approach."