The question of this essay is "Is it really possible for a single test to determine whether a child is ready for college?" » Standardized tests, such as the ACT or SAT, were first introduced in America in 1901. The original goal was to create a uniform exam that every university could use. The College Board could also provide secondary schools with feedback on their students' performance. The United States emphasizes the need to give everyone who has the determination and skills the opportunity to attend college, as this reflects the American value of egalitarianism. However, the United States overestimates the value of standardized tests, which creates an unfair measure of a student's abilities. Making standardized exams a major factor in college applications requires teachers to create a curriculum centered around the test, ignores the reality that students learn and excel in different ways, and promotes socioeconomic disparities between families of different breeds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Every school system strives for the highest scores on standardized tests, causing curricula to move from lessons valuable to strict preparation for the ACT or SAT, and students are looking for ways to study for a test to achieve the highest score. As Sumita Bhattacharyya, assistant professor of teacher education at Nicholls State University, explains, in 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act into law. This tied federal funding for schools to the progress of their students. The concept behind this is that teachers will be held accountable for their students' learning, and to measure it, they will use standardized tests. This is intended to ensure that every child receives the appropriate assistance in the classroom to succeed, but instead creates stress among schools to improve each year. As a result, teachers are forced to prioritize test material over important lessons that are more relevant to their subjects. Because math and reading levels are considered more important, other subjects, like history and science, are neglected. Furthermore, the demand for high test scores begins in college, as former University of California President Richard Atkinson observed. 12-year-olds are already learning verbal analogies in preparation for the ACT. However, the intense focus on test scores is not the administration's fault; they're just trying to make sure they won't be penalized for low scores. Either way, it forces teachers to drill certain concepts into children's heads instead of preparing them for their future. Standardized testing not only limits teachers, but also students. Since every student has a different learning method, it is not fair to only use a timed test to define their intelligence. As Bhattacharyya bluntly puts it: “…not all students do well on tests” (Bhattacharyya). Some children tend to do better in group projects or class discussions or may excel in other subjects that are not examined as closely. Simply put, every child has different talents, so it is impossible to find criteria by which they will all succeed. Therefore, student transcripts better reflect, because of..