The Incomplete Truths of Standardized Tests

What are your memories of test taking in school? Did they give you confidence or make you second guess yourself?

People usually group themselves in 1 of 2 categories when thinking about their school years; not having a panic attack with the mention of a test and doing well on them, or having your mind go blank with just the utterance of the word test. With an average of 17 years out of a persons first 22 years spent in school, where intelligence and self worth is measured by standardized testing, a fair amount of the student population’s view of themselves, their capabilities, and future success are being formed and solidified for life based on incomplete and inaccurate information.

I speak from experience. I could not wait to finish high school so I could get a job. Subconsciously, I knew I could do well at a job. I did not realize the very things that would give me success in life out of school were the very things that standardized tests do not measure. At that time my understanding of my intelligence, capabilities and self-worth were based on the standards of the schools and not the real world.

For kids with dyslexia school standardized testing does not measure their strengths, but only their weaknesses. It does not give a score for their perseverance, thinking out of the box, compassion, or creativity, just to name a few things. The skewed outcomes of those tests is why it is so important for kids with dyslexia and their parents to know that standardized testing cannot give a accurate view of current strengths and capabilities let alone a persons future success in life. A lot of people with dyslexia do not see or understand their gifts and strengths until after their school years. One my goals with my students and their families is to help them see the future is not based on standardized testing but on the strengths, along with the weaknesses, of their child and the love of the family.