Teaching to the test. Helpful or harmful?

Teaching to the test has been a very controversial topic in our education system. The main question about teaching to the test is, does it hurt or help students? I personally believe that teaching to the test is a bad thing. This method eliminates room for teachers to become creative in the classroom. Teachers are more focused on teaching items that will be on the test, rather than teaching things that will be beneficial in the students’ future.

Teaching to the test can also be very stressful for students who are not good test takers. The student may know the information located on the test, but because of anxiety issues, the student will perform poorly. I do believe that testing is an important part of the education system, but I disagree with the fact that a test score can be a determining factor on the child’s promotion to the next grade level. Test scores should work together with the child’s performance on other activities to determine promotion.

Here is a 2008 article about teaching to the test, and yes, the issue still remains unsolved. http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/04/10/accountability-yes-teaching-to-the-test-no.aspx