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Sondra Haywood 11/21/13 English period 3 Research Paper The Pros and Cons of Standardized Tests Every year, the average American student who attends public school is forced to prepare for standardized tests even though it is not necessarily beneficial to his or her education. Standardized testing has become a main focus in modern day schools across the U.S nation, causing a monumental increase in the amount of time a student prepares for a test. On an estimate, students are expected to study a staggering amount of 60 to 110 hours a year in order to get decent, meaning and average C or higher, on the standardized tests. Not only is standardized test producing a large amount of unnecessary work in order to score the apparent intelligence of the body of students, but it also comes at a high expense. â€Å"Including the cost of lost instructional time (at $6.15 per hour, equivalent to the per-student cost of adding one hour to the school day), the estimated annual testing cost per pupil ranged from $700 to more than $1,000 per pupil in several grades that participated in standard ized testing†. (Strauss). Even though standardized tests are commonly known for benefitting the country as a whole, it is not improving the education in America because it is not enabling young American students to reach their full potential. Even though standardized tests often decrease the potential ability of students all over the U.S, it does improve the educational system in some areas. For example, standardized test can be a reliable and consistent mean for education to students who attend underprivileged schools. That means, young students of America who attend schools that would ordinarily be below the educational standard bar, are not falling behind d... ...very poorly. Standardized tests have done more harm than good in numerous ways including diminishing the chance of opportunity, bringing down the standard bar of schools across the nation, and creating a boring perception of knowledge. Even though standardized tests can bring up schools education in some cases, it would be better if standardized tests were discontinued. Discontinuing the use of such harsh and prioritized tests will promote a good sense of opportunity to both low-income and high-income students, bring up the standard bar of schools, and provide a creative educational environment where students strive to learn. The thirst of knowledge is so critical to the world today because it provides an inspiration to make the world a better place. The use of standardized test diminishes the chance of creating a better education for the students of the modern day.