A new poll released by the non-profit Education Post has found that while a majority of parents believe in the value of standardized testing in the education of their children, many also believe there is too much of it for it to be effective.

The findings are the result of a 20-minute survey of 1,000 parents from across the country.

While 44 percent of parents polled believed that standardized testing is fair, 49% agreed that there is too much of it.

"The poll figures, which were culled from a 20-minute online survey of more than 1,000 parents, show that 44 percent of parents believe standardized tests are fair, compared with 38 percent who said they are not and 18 percent who are unsure. In addition, 44 percent of parents said standardized tests have a positive impact on schools overall, while 30 percent of parents said they feel the impact is negative, and 25 percent are not sure," according to USNews.com. Presently, it is fairly unarguable that there is a lot of required standardized testing happening in schools.

"The federal government requires states to test students 17 times before graduation: Annually in math and reading in grades 3 through 8, once in those subjects during high school, and then once in science during elementary, middle and high school," the article said.

Though this is merely the federal government's requirement, many states have additional requirements that ensure students are meeting federal standards before the required tests- creating a lot of annual exams for children to sit for.

The poll revealed that while 29 percent of parents feel that these kinds of high-stakes standardized tests are too stressful for their children, 43 percent said that the tests are not stressful not beyond management.

In other words, parents on a national level might not be as opposed to standardized testing as the widespread opt-out movements from last spring might have indicated. Certainly, this new poll suggests that more might be willing to opt-in if the amount of required testing is reduced.

Read the full story here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

10/12/2015