HippoBLOGamus

According to an article in USA Today, cheating is running rampant in public schools, and the blame is being placed not just on students, but their teachers and administrators as well. Some believe the underlying issue that has caused the cheating upsurge is standardized testing, and honestly I would have to agree.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was filling in the bubbles in accordance with my last name first, trying to remember and regurgitate the facts poured into me by teachers, only to blissfully forget them post-testing. Because of curriculum based testing there was no desire to learn, just the desire to remember.

It is impractical to gauge a students potential on one set of standardized tests. Not including, quizzes, homework, projects, and class participation (just to name a few) when measuring a student’s potential is like complaining about a pizza because the chef forgot the sauce: how can you pass judgment if crucial ingredients are missing??

The pressure put on students, teachers and administrators to adhere to particular standards or risk their futures, jobs and school funding is enough to make anyone cheat.

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