Every year students in Wyoming are required to take standardized tests. These tests determine where they are placed in classes. There is a lot of pressure put on students to do well on these tests.  There are lots of negative impacts like negative mindsets to do learning, an increase in stress levels between teachers and students and a decrease in student confidence. 

The first of these negative impacts are students do not get the chance to redo these tests and if they do bad, pressure from parents and society might play into students’ confidence or mindsets. Students also love to hear that they are doing well and are succeeding in the classroom. If students are not doing well then that sets them up for a negative attitude toward their progress in school. Confidence and a student’s mindset play a big role in students learning. A very smart kid might do very well in school for almost the whole year but if one test decides their placements, a very smart kid might not be where they need to be. 

Also, there is a lot of pressure that comes from standardized testing. You have one chance to do good and if not you are separated into higher or lower grade categories. Stress is also passed down from teachers to students. Teachers are threatened with being fired or decommissioned. On the other hand they can get raises or promotions from good testing. If the teachers who have underscoring students want those kids to do well for the class average. The pressure put on these students is then transferred to the students. Although, some pressure is normal when taking a test the pressure put on students to do well is way too high. 

In conclusion, standardized tests cause a decrease in one’s self confidence, a decrease in one’s mindset toward learning and puts very high stress levels on students. One standardized test could put you in a false placement. Standardized tests are not a good way to judge a person’s learning. Some kids may thrive in standardized testing and for some they are a lot smarter than one test may show. ‘’Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’’