The end of the school year brings loads of horrors. Finals, AP  tests, and the government-mandated SOL (Standards of Learning)   tests. These do not necessarily strike fear in everyone’s hearts, but they do annoy the general population of our school. They cause confusing schedule and classroom changes. 

Some  periods are made longer so people can have sufficient time to take a test. They last from  1.5  to 2 hours, and warp the schedule. Students do not know when and where they’re supposed to go to class. When  teachers have to plan for such an extended period, they just get tired of it by the end. 

They also reserve  certain classrooms just for test takers. This is unique to AP Testing and SOLs, but it’s still a major inconvenience caused by standardized testing. This adds to the confusion caused by schedule changing  and the stress brought on by these tests.

If you did not notice, I do not approve of standardized tests. Aside from  the more superficial reasons, there are  other reasons to abolish standardized testing.They do more harm than good. They make students cram excessive amounts of information in their brain, and cause  instructors to teach to the test, and not the students. 

Plenty of other countries have abolished standardized testing, and their population is much more successful in relation to education. One such country is Finland. According to the World Economic Forum’s website, there are no required standardized tests in Finland. There is one that is optional, and it measures language arts and math skills. This is one of the reasons why Finnish students rank second amongst all countries with the best education. The United States  could be like them as well!

In the end, the abolishment of standardized testing would benefit all students . It would make life easier, make the end of the school year  less stressful, and improve this country’s education system as a whole.