Standardized Testing: Students with Learning Disability
There has been an overwhelming debate on whether students with disabilities should be subjected to standardized testing. Standardized testing is the manner of testing where administration and scoring are done in a standardized or consistent manner. The tests are designs in such a manner that the terms of administration, the questions, interpretations and scoring procedures are consistent, scored and administered in a standard and predetermined manner(Smith, 2011). Therefore, this paper will explore why students with disabilities should not be subjected to standardized testing.
One of the reasons why there is injustice in subjecting students with leaner disabilities to those who are learner enabled. It is determinable that one is better at learning than the other and therefore there will be grade retention. There is a performance gap between the students, and therefore it is not viable for them to have beenat par with others in the classroom (Williamson & Paul, 2012). The promotion tests which students are subjected to leads to those with learner disability to fail and therefore retained in the level they were. It is an unfair subjection of people to the same standards, yet they have different capabilities and abilities to handle the challenges.
Increase retention rate would mean that most of the student would opt to drop out of school. This is because they are bound to fail in largescale examinations as opposed to other students, and this would demotivate them in learning. In the united states, 30% of students with learner disability drop out of school compared to the 11% of the larger population of the students in the country (Williamson & Paul, 2012). Some of the students can opt out to pursue other options such as General Educational Development examinations.
Also, some states give students with learning disabilities alternative diplomas, certificates in high school. The efforts to compensate students with learning disabilities is a disservice to them. It is morally and practically unfair to the students to be subjected to the same testing with other students (Kim & Williams, 2012). This is because research to the credentials awarded makes them unique and therefore subjected to scrutiny and therefore be disadvantaged in higher education or career advancement. Therefore, it is unfair that students with learner disability would be disadvantaged in the awarding of nonstandardized certificates and diplomas which will add no value to them rather than constantly remind them how they are failures in school.
To conclude, having students with learner disabilities to do standardized testing is a disservice to them. The education system does not consider these people with learner disabilities because it simply contributes to school dropouts due to increased retention rates to the students. The mitigation of the problem by awarding alternative diplomas and certificates to the students dents them and makes them vulnerable to unwarranted labeling in the future. Therefore, students with learning disabilities should not be subjected to standardized testing.
References
Kim, M., & Williams, B. (2012). Lived employment experiences of college students and graduates with physical disabilities in the United States. Disability & Society, 27(6), 837-852. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.673081
Smith, H. (2011). "High Stakes Standardized Testing in the United States: Trends, Consequences, and Issues". Schreyer Honors College: Pennsylvania State University, 2011.
Williamson, J., & Paul, J. (2012). The “Slow Learner” as a Mediated Construct. United States Journal Of Disability Studies, 1(3), 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v1i3.59
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