Spring is here and that means it is time for state testing for non-seniors at De Soto High School as well as students across the United States. Standardized testing should not be required because it does not fairly evaluate the skills of students or teachers, adds stress and does not provide feedback for improvement.

Being a junior in high school, I have been taking state assessments in school since I can remember, and I have come to the conclusion that they are not effective.  

Since teachers do not know what is on state assessments, there is no way to fully prepare. This is because the goal of state testing is to see where students are currently standing with their education and how well teachers are teaching them. The problem with this is that many students have test anxiety and do not perform their best when tested.

According to the American Test Anxiety Association, about 20 percent of students have high test anxiety. Students should not be required to take state assessments as it can be hazardous to their mental health.

Test anxiety that comes from taking state assessments in turn adds stress to students’ already stressful lives. The American Psychological Association found that 30 percent of teens reported feeling sad or depressed because of stress.

Many students are involved in a number of extracurriculars, take AP classes and take the ACT or SAT. Students put a lot of time and effort into these activities and tests, rather than into state assessments; therefore, a student’s best effort and skill is not represented in their state assessment scores.

Unlike the ACT or SAT, standardized testing also fails to provide feedback to help students improve their scores.

The results of the test often do not come back until months later and they are not thorough enough for students to truly  know what to work towards improving on. There is also no way to study for state assessments since the test is confidential.

Standardized testing should no longer be required in the United States because of its ineffectiveness and unfair student evaluation.