An Analysis of Standardized Assessment and Tracking in American Education: Tools of Oppression
Open Access
Author:
Gillespie, Nate
Area of Honors:
Secondary Education
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Charlotte L Land, Thesis Supervisor Charlotte L Land, Thesis Honors Advisor Michelle Renee Knotts, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
educational inequity Critical Race Theory standardized assessment tracking achievement tests meritocracy racial bias social justice Standardized Assessment Tracking Achievement Tests Meritocracy Racial Bias Social Justice Abolitionist Teaching
Abstract:
It is well documented that the United States Education replicates inequity and continues the systematic oppression of communities of color that is embedded in American society. Two of the leading factors for this are standardized assessment and tracking, relics of the race politics of the 20th century that cannot move beyond their white supremacist legacies. This paper offers a brief introduction to the issue, including the history of both. I utilize a Critical Race Theoretical perspective, allowing for a critical analysis of these practices through a lens of racial equity. I examine precisely how these two systems negatively affect students of color across the United States and contribute to the education debt between students of color and their White counterparts. I conclude with the assertion that direct and structural action must be taken by teachers, administrators, and policymakers to be critical of and resist standardized testing and tracking to the point of abolishment of these systems. This is the only way to truly fulfill an earnest commitment to all students.
