Obama Administration Looks to Reduce Test Taking Time

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On October 24th the Obama Administration made a statement regarding public testing throughout the country. The announcement stated that testing is taking a dominant role in the classroom.

Statistics from the Council of Great City schools report that testing from kindergarten through 12th grade takes up roughly 2 percent of class time each year that could be used on teaching new topics.

“In eighth grade, when tests fall most heavily, they consume an average of 20 to 25 hours,” according to The New York Times, “or 2.3 percent of school time.”

This time does not, however, include optional tests such as the ACT or AP Exams, which many upperclassmen choose to take.

The administration called upon Congress to ‘reduce over-testing’ throughout the nation. Their goal is to reduce testing time to .5 percent each year and  hope to have an agreement settled by January.

“Some of the language of the announcement Saturday was general; it said, for example, that tests should be “worth taking” and ‘fair’,” The New York Times wrote, “it stressed that academic standards and curriculum are to be fleshed out locally.”

Students agree that tests take up too much of class time, and are abused by school districts.

“I feel like every other day we are taking a different test,” junior Clayton Phillips said, “By the time we fully learn a new topic we are being tested over it.”

Teachers also feel tests are too dominant in the classroom.

“I completely agree. Teachers give out so many tests each year that it is all students focus on,” American History AP teacher Mr. White said. “Students start to care too much about the percent and not about the actual knowledge.”

The administration called upon Congress to “reduce over-testing” throughout the nation and hopes to have an agreement settled by this January.