So schools opt for the texts and workbooks, even though students rarely display any enthusiasm for them. . A similar problem occurs with respect to reading and writing. These packages enable the teacher to monitor the child's progress and to provide additional exercises when the child experiences difficulty. The teacher always knows where the child stands with respect to testable skills. They micht prepare students for standardized tests, but they don't inspire a love of reading.
Standardized tests affect children in other ways.
Although youngsters naturally learn at different rates, the tests measure them all by the same yardsticks. If, in addition, the tests that generate these labels are in any way biased against the economically disadvantaged, the social implications are profound. Despite these and other problems, standardized tests do provide a method of evaluating education, and they seem to be here to stay. These questions are not necessarily easy to answer. Compared to the questions that testers usually ask, questions about children's love of learning, self-confidence, and creativity do not lend themselves to precise measurement.