We don’t all eat the same, talk the same, walk the same or even look the same.  Just like everything else, the way in which we process information differs from individual to individual.  We are not all offered the same opportunities throughout life.  We do not all have the same chances to assure the best possible outcome for our lives.  Because of this reality, a standardized curriculum that includes performance testing should be discouraged in Language Arts classes because requiring every student to perform at the same level restricts a students’ individuality, creativity and their learning process; not to mention unfairly restricts the abilities of those who are less fortunate than others. 

    Requiring every student to adhere to the same set of standards greatly restricts their independence.  The principles of this country were founded on the ideals of freedom and individuality.  We applaud and even respect those who go beyond the norm to prove their individuality, so why disregard these ideals when it comes to the education of our children.  Teachers who ignore the slower learners and don’t challenge the faster learners enough are the ones we entrust to design standardized curriculums and hold every student accountable for the same material.  This is unfair to our children.  The fact is all students have their own unique way of interpreting the material we present them in the classroom.  In class, especially Language Arts class, the way in which they process this information is expressed through the work that they give to us.  As an educator, I feel it would be very boring and repetitive to grade a set of students’ papers only to find that every student responded exactly the same way.  Standardized testing should not even be allowed in a language arts class.  There is no way of evaluating a student’s performance using standardized test in language arts classes.  Language arts is about expression.  We teach writing and how to interpret various pieces of literature.  You cannot standardize expression.

    Just as I said you cannot standardize expression and individualism, you cannot standardize creativity.  When we ask our students to complete an assignment, we expect them to be as creative as possible to produce the most effective work.  Reading and writing assignments foster creativity in students that will not and cannot be fully recognized by administering performance testing.  Performance testing evaluates each student’s ability to interpret and understand information.  There is no way to evaluate a student’s interpretation of material using a standardized scoring system.  Using standardized scoring will only discourage our children because if they don't respond within the limits of the standardized scoring system, then their answers will be considered wrong and we will have contributed to killing the creative mind of a child. 

    Educators and education professionals have identified numerous different learning styles.  We generally categorize each student with one or more learning style.  The style of learning differs from student to student, and therefore so should the curriculum.  Standardized testing does not effectively incorporate the different learning styles into its evaluation of students’ responses.

    Many would argue that performance testing does take into consideration that requiring all students to perform at the same level hurts some and restricts others.  Some would disagree.  Those who disagree would say that performance test designers use information and feedback from educators around the world and collect data from thousands of students.  They would then say that the resulting test is a collection of this feedback and data and therefore includes all students, regardless of their learning style.  According to the Center for Education Reform Web site, these tests help identify weaknesses and forge effective strategies to help children learn  (http://www.edreform.com/pubs/testing.htm).

    Alfie Kohn, writer for Education Week on the Web (http://www.edweek.org), said that standardized testing is so bad now that it "has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole."    She said that our children are tested more than in any part of the world, in fact few countries use standardized testing for children below high school level or multiple-choice tests for children of any age. 

    It is a known fact throughout the history of education in America that the areas with the least amount of resources produce children with the lowest test scores and the lowest graduation rates.  Using standardized curriculum and standardized testing only adds to the frustration of those children who have less, thus adding to the dropout rate and the lowest test scores.  Kohn's article points out that in a 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress study of math test results, a combination of the following four factors accounted for 89 percent of the differences in test scores from state to state: number of parent's living at home, parents' educational background, type of community and poverty rate.  Those who have more resources fair better than others because they can afford to pay for extensive test preparation in order to do well on their exams.

    The problem of standardized testing will be one that goes on forever, until educators, law makers and parents can come to a consensus.  Teachers can combat this problem in the classroom by assigning tasks that foster creativity and individualism in each of their students.  One such assignment is the senior project that many schools across the nation now require in order to graduate.  Seniors get to embark on a yearlong project, with a topic they choose, and the finished product can be anything they desire.  An assignment such as this is the perfect way for each student to express his or her creativity.  They get to choose what it is they are most interested in and share this with others.

    As I said before, until everyone can reach a consensus about the future of educating our children, we will have to work hard to ensure they are not 'swallowed' up by that mutated creature called standardized testing.