We affirm: Resolved: On balance, standardized testing is beneficial to K-12 education in the United States.

We would like to define the following word:According to the Glossary of Education Reform, Standardized Testing is: A standardized test is any form of test that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same questions , or a selection of questions from

common bank of questions, in the same way, an d that )(2 is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students.

Our first contention is Standardized Testing Creates Accountability

Phelps, Richard. "Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational Testing Programs." Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational Testing Programs.

Education Consumers, 1995. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

"The economist John Bishop, for example, argues that it is illogical and counterproductive to insist that a teacher be both a "coach" and a "judge." The teacher is a coach when she helps a student to succeed; a judge when she grades a student's test and decides that the student should not be promoted to the next grade or level of education. By Bishop's theory, this dual role puts the teacher in a moral dilemma that is often

resolved through social promotion. Most teachers would rather be coaches than judges and, so, promote students to the next level even though they are not ready. After a few years of social promotion, of course, students may be so far behind that they cannot possibly succeed by any objective standard. They may become disillusioned, give up trying, and drop out.

Aaron Churchill from the Fordham Institute in 2015 furthers this as he writes,

Now, some have argued that teachers’ grades are sufficient. But the reality is that teacher grading practices can be wildly uneven across schools—and even within them. For instance, one math teacher might be an extraordinarily lenient grader, while another might be brutally hard: Getting an A means something very different. Teacher grading can be subjective in other ways, including favoritism towards certain students, and it can find its basis in

non-achievement factors like classroom behavior, participation, or attendance.

This shows how standardized tests are extremely important in maintaining accountability within schools as standardized tests are completely objective and do not rely on arbitrary grading systems.

Our second contention is that standardized testing betters education for everyone

Subpoint A: Improving a school’s education

Phelps, Richard. "Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational Testing Programs." Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational

Testing Programs. Education Consumers, 2006. Web. 03 Nov. 2015. .

"Perhaps the simplest, and least disputed, [biggest] benefit of standardized tests is in diagnosis. Test results can pinpoint a student's academic strengths and weaknesses, areas that need work, and areas where help is needed. Test scores provide a measurement tool that can be used to judge the effectiveness of pre[-]existing or

proposed school programs. Test results can inform teachers, [and] schools, and school systems about their curricular and instructional strengths and weaknesses. That may lead to a better alignment of curriculum with instruction, a benefit often

enumerated by teachers and administrators in evaluations of testing programs. Teachers have also reported that they learn more about their students, their own teaching, and other teachers' methods from high-stakes

external tests."

This means that standardized tests allow schools and students to see where their strengths and weaknesses are. Through these results, schools can know where to improve their curriculum. Habitually low test scores in a certain area means that that part of the curriculum needs improvement.

Subpoint B: Benefitting the Student

Standardized Testing benefits the student in two key ways. The first way is teaching students good study habits.

Herbert, Walberg. "Stop the War Against Standardized Tests." Hoover Institution. N.p., 20 May 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. .

“U.S. students who anticipated having to pass a standardized test for high school graduation learned more science and math, were more likely to complete homework and talk with

their parents about schoolwork, and watched less television than their peers who were not required to pass such exams. These constructive activities encourage students to concentrate on meeting standards and monitoring their own time and progress—

[These] skills [are] important for not only increased achievement but also increased success in life.”

The second way is preparing them for future success and a higher education

ACT. "Crisis at the Core." (n.d.): n. pag. 2004. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. .

“ACT research shows that far too few graduates are ready for college-level work in English, math, or science—or for the workplace, where the same skills are now being expected of those who do not attend college. This assessment system

[Standardized Test Scores] can provide assistance to school districts in identifying the effectiveness of instructional programming and coursework at the high school level in preparing their students for college or the workplace.”Walberg Herbert furthers in 2011 that standardized tests prepare students for future challenges

“K–12 students who practice demonstrating their knowledge and skills on standardized tests throughout their school career become better prepared to meet future educational, occupational, and professional goals. They will be ready for the standardized tests assessing complex achievement that are used for admission to selective colleges and graduate and professional schools.

In addition, K–12 students will be prepared for tests required for occupational licensing for

trades as well as for intellectually demanding professions such as law and medicine. The American Board of Internal Medicine, for example, uses multiple-choice, standardized tests to assess a physician’s judgment before he can be certified in an advanced medical specialty.”

For all of these reasons, my partner and I urge a pro ballot in today’s round.