Should Standardized Testing be Eliminated?

Standardized testing in schools has been a debate for a long time, with stakeholders assuming different views on the issue. The supporters of standardized testing argue that it is fair, and that it makes the teachers and schools very accountable since it is uniform. Since standardized tests are often times graded through computers, they are objective in nature. They allow students in different schools, districts or states to be compared. In that case, they provide a means of group and sub-group comparisons. One the other hand, standardize testing does not effectively consider the external factors while testing students. Opposers of standardized tests argue that they create a tendency where teachers “teach the tests” ad neglect imparting knowledge to the students. As a result, a lot of instructional time is wasted by teachers. The great philosopher, Plato, in “The Allegory of the Cave,” presents a hypothesis that depict the stages that human beings go through in the search of knowledge, and the differences in human beings in regard to appreciation of reality, and knowledge (Plato, 2010). In lieu of this, the essay argues that standardized testing should be eliminated, and concludes that Plato should not have approved standardized testing.

The connotation of the “ Allegory of the Cave” by Plato reveals four different stages of perception of knowledge. There are the cave, the shadows, the escape and the return. Additionally, there is the element of the game, in which the prisoners guessed the most likely shadow, and the one who guessed right was regarded as wise. The cave can be interpreted as representing people who believe that knowledge is a result of what people just perceive. Similarly, the shadows can be taken to represent the people who perceive knowledge as the result of empirical evidence. In the Plato’s hypothesis, the prisoners perceived the shadows of the items they saw as reality. The escape journey of one of the prisoners can be taken to represent the people who strive to seek knowledge, and later come to realize the true sense of their perceptions. The responses of the other prisoners upon the return of the “philosopher” prisoner are very depictive of the reluctance and differences of people in seeking the truth.

A close analysis of “Allegory of the Cave” strongly supports the idea that standardized tests should be eliminated. First, people may be subjected to a standardized test, yet they are at different levels of development in regard to perception of knowledge. Nelson (2013) reiterates that standardized tests tend to create a culture where teachers strive to “teach the test”. Comparing this with the happenings in the cave, students that are subjected to a standardized test are likely to perceive only what they see as the truth. As the cave bound the prisoners and prevented them from thinking beyond what they could see, a standardized test is likely to bind the teacher and the student, and prevent them from thinking critically beyond the test. Secondly, the shadow has in the “Allegory of the Cave” has shown that some people perceive only the empirical evidence to be the representation of the truth. In a class, the teacher may have different students, some of whom may be seeing only the “shadows”. In that case, subjecting all the students to a standard test will not be fair to them. Nelson (2013)argues that the purpose of education should be to prepare pupils in order to position them strategically for opportunities. In the case where their different abilities and potentials are not considered, they will not be prepared adequately for the job market.

Plato presents a hypothesis that shows differences in people in terms of knowledge, perception and the love of discovering. Among the three prisoners, one is set free, discovers the truth, and he is ready to set the others free (Plato, 2010). However, the other prisoners are not ready to be set free, since they strongly perceive what they see as the truth. The depiction here is that people are different in terms of their knowledge perception. If such people are subjected to a standardized test, their performance is likely to vary. In order to appreciate the gifts of all the people, as advised by Nelson (2013), the test should consider such differences; that there are those who are born to be philosophers, and others born to listen to the philosophers.

Standardized tests are unfair to the students who have read head and want to the philosophers. In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” the return journey makes the enlightened philosopher go back to the cave, yet he had an enlightened (Plato, 2010). The refusal by the other prisoners to be enlightened creates a state of confusion for him. He may wonder which way to follow. In the same way, a standardized test does not give a chance of excellence to the best brains, since after all, “they will pass the test.” In lieu of this, I opine that Plato could not have approved standardized testing. Plato believes in differences in people, where some are born to be philosophers.

In sum, standardized testing should be eliminated. This will give a chance for all the students to show excellence in their areas of expertise. Additionally, it will give an opportunity to the students who are endowed with philosophical passion and knowledge to explore their potential. According to Plato, as can be inferred from his “Allegory of the Cave,” standardized testing should be eliminated.

References

Nelson, H. (2013). Testing more, teaching less: What America’s obsession with student testing costs in money and lost instruction time. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.

Plato. (2010). The allegory of the cave. Brea, CA: P & L Pubication.

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