Stress Test
When your body feels harm approaching, stress and anxiety can occur.Stress in moderation can be a positive factor in life, causing people to complete tasks in their day.When too much stress brings itself upon a person, they can have mental breakdowns.Several school students that strive to attend higher education and gain a successful career have felt this sensation when preparing for their SAT or Keystone testing.The weight that these exams hold can create a harmful amount of anxiety in pupils.More schools should stop requiring standardized testing because these tests add a detrimental amount of stress to students.
Stress already affects most Americans, but standardized testing makes it worse.Stress even negatively affects younger learners, an example being Noah Muthler.This third grade student was referred to as an intelligent child, but even he was caught dumbfounded by standardized testing.Noah’s mother stated that Noah was, “crying in my arms the night before the test, saying: ‘I’m not ready, Mom'”(Bronson).The next year when the boy attended the fourth grade, he “was upset the whole week before the exam”(Bronson).
Even in a boy youthful as this, stress ruined his learning experience.The stress from the test caused him to worry for many days.No one wants to see their child in tears, especially over a silly exam.Another example of how strong stress’ grasp can be are the statistics in the US.The numbers show that, “75: Percent of Americans who report experiencing at least one symptom of stress a month”(Stressed out).Three fourths of Americans already show signs of stress, and standardized tests do not help these people.
Not only does this stress affect their learning, but it affects their day-to-day lives.The stats say that,”25: Percentage of people who report a sense of loneliness and isolation due to stress”(Stressed out).Students who feel stressed out by these tests not only could do poorly on the tests, but lose friends, family, interest in other activities.Studying can encompass all of these kids’ lives.Finally, studies have shown that many students have slow-acting enzymes that do not allow them to perform properly under stressful conditions.”Some scholars have suggested that we are all Warriors and Worriers”(Bronson).
Scientific discoveries show that some people are born to perform under stress, and some are not, due to their dopamine clearers.These students with slow-acting enzymes have been genetically setup to fail with these tests, which gives them less of a chance to gain acceptance into the university or career they wish to attend.Is this what you would want for your child?No.These tests are unfair to many, and put the world’s youth in danger. Young learners can be prone to nervous breakdowns, anxiety attacks, even suicide in severe situations.These tests should no longer exist to help future generations safely get ahead in life.
Many people may disagree with the argument made against standardized testing.They may say that those who do poorly on the tests are just less intelligent than those who perform well.Nevertheless, this is very untrue.Armando Rodriguez, a California high school student, prospered during his high school years.He was a several sport athlete and quite the student, acquiring a 3.86 GPA his senior year.
People would expect him to do well on the SAT he had prepared thoroughly for, but he did not.Once the exam began, Rodriguez became quite uncomfortable.He said, “My heart was racing.I had butterflies”(Bronson).He also explained that he struggled at concentrating, and spent his time worrying that the other students may be doing better than him.Armando had gone through many pressures in his life, whether it came from the classroom or on the field, but this test became the first obstacle to overpower him.
He excelled as student who still found great struggles on his standardized tests.This scenario proves how standardized testing harms many students due to the stress that it can create.They should be removed from our nation’s educational system immediately, so our future leaders can have a lucrative learning experience. When growing up, children have plenty to worry about, whether it be going to college and leaving behind their forever fostering families, striving for a successful career, or just having an enjoyable childhood.Standardized testing should not have to be another factor of life for the world’s youth to worry about.Standardized testing should no longer be required in schools, since it causes intelligent minds to struggle, adds onto the anxiety that people already have, and are set up for some students to fail due to their biological makeup.If these exams are abolished, our future generations will thrive.
