Standarized Testing

This week in class, we furthered our discussion on the American school system, specifically standardized testing. The discussion is lead by the question of, "Who does the American school system serve?" In an article by Lori Higgins, it is revealed that Michigan government will be closing school that are underperforming on standardized tests, specifically, "in the bottom 5% academically,"(Higgins 1). I believe that this will benefit both student and government respectively. According to the article, "Schools wouldn't close if there are no high-performing options for the kids who are displaced."(Higgins 1). This means, that students will not be deprived of an education. On the contrary, they will be transferring to a high-performing school, which will give them an opportunity to learn at a better school. Closing schools also benefits  government because the money that went to that school, can be used somewhere else. Not to mention, the poor scores of the closing schools will no longer bring down the state's education rates. The only downsides are the possible relocation for families and the difficult transitions for some children to a new school. Though they will be entering a higher-performing school, this transition can be detrimental to students who already struggle in school. This can be resolved if they are relocated with many of their peers. In conclusion, I believe it is a win-win situation to close schools, despite a couple downsides.