Welcome to the world of standardized testing, where we assess children to determine everything from what they’ve learned by third grade to which colleges are beyond their academic reach.
These tests include, but are not limited to, American College Testing (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the Scantron Performance Series. They aim to gauge overall educational development and/or college readiness.
Federal law requires that public schools administer annual standardized testing in math and English language arts to students in grades three through eight and that they be tested once during high school.
Not Everybody Is a Fan
While lauded by many, standardized tests are widely criticized as tone-deaf to the positive impact that traits such as determination can have on academic success. Other issues cited are test biases favoring more affluent and/or white students and that some researchers see grades as better indicators of future academic success.
A recent article from the National Education Association described standardized tests as “inaccurate, inequitable, and often ineffective at gauging what students really know.” Instead, it advocates the adoption of performance-based assessments where students demonstrate mastery of subject matter by applying what they know to “real-world situations.”
Other problems include unintended consequences for students who consider themselves good at certain subjects and whose self-esteem is boosted by that belief. When test scores don’t support that idea, the experience can be devastating.
What Are We Doing to Our Kids?
When parents continually drive home to children the importance of these tests, they can unintentionally harm their children’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
Warning: You are about to read things that might make you think I’m coming down on you with a big, judgy attitude.
I promise I’m not.
In truth, I’ve made many mistakes as a parent, some of which were really big. So, instead of criticizing, I’ll share what I’ve learned from research, observation, and experience. Consider the following bullet points describing what might be your child’s point of view:
- I don’t know what it covers, so I can’t even study for it. I’m feeling helpless and unprepared.
- I’m freaking out about what my parents will do if I mess up.
- My parents are counting on me to do well. I don’t want to disappoint them.
- I haven’t slept for days because all I can think about is how one test could screw up the rest of my life.
- I just threw up in the office of the therapist my parents took me to figure out what’s wrong with me, but what’s wrong is that my parents expect me to ace the ACT.
How did you feel about these tests when you were a child? Did the messages you got from your parents reassure and empower you, or did they make you vomit from the stress?
Oh, So Now It’s the Parents’ Fault? In a Word, Yes
When parents over-emphasize the importance of standardized tests when talking with their kids, they could be acting in their own interests rather than their child’s. This can happen when a parent has “reward-based needs.”
Although probably well-intentioned, these parents often double down on controlling parenting behaviors because they’re chasing an idealized image or status. Their reward-based needs might have resulted from their parents’ reward-based needs. It’s a human thing and not necessarily a sign of bad parenting, but the potential for harm is great.
If a need for rewards drives your parenting, consider what you most want for your child and what you want your relationship with them to look like. Assess whether your message about standardized testing could threaten that relationship and/or your child’s well-being. Finally, ask yourself if that’s still the message you want to send.