Is It Correct to Standardize the Education System?
Going by its word meaning, standardization is the development or implementation of certain technical standards. In the field of education, it refers to finding a solution to the problem of making every individual educated in a manner that allows all students to realize uniform gains by making consistent decisions. In simple terms this means that standardizing education helps to align a curriculum which in turn, enables quality control in the education system so that students may learn and be evaluated on a uniform platform and in an objective manner.
In the recent times a lot has been spoken about standardizing the education system and the standardized testing methods which are touted to enhance the academic performance of students. However, Rubin and Kazanjian (94) point out this kind of an educational practice will only destroy creative learning. According to the authors, standardization of education will kill engaging, critical and self-reflective ways of learning (98).
Another disadvantage of standardized testing Rubin and Kazanjian say arises from the fact that every student is a unique individual with a different rate of learning and a different interest. Given this situation, educating all students in a similar manner, based on a ‘teacher-proof’ standard, is equivalent to committing a grave mistake that will only throttle the student’s creativity, social disposition and his or her interest in learning (97).
Hence, it would be best to let students acquire knowledge in a manner that best suits their learning needs and rates and by a method that does not turn them into mere learning machines.
Works Cited
Rubin, Daniel Ian, and Christopher John Kazanjian. “Just Another Brick in the Wall: Standardization and the Devaluing of Education”. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 5 . 2 (2011): 94-108. Web. 16 Dec. 2013
