The question of this essay is "Is it really possible for a single test to determine a child's readiness for college?". Standardized tests, such as the ACT or SAT, were first introduced in America in 1901. The initial goal was to create a uniform exam that every university could use. The College Board could also provide secondary schools with feedback on their students' performance. The United States places an emphasis on giving anyone with the determination and skills the opportunity to attend college, as it reflects the American value of egalitarianism. However, the United States overemphasizes the value of standardized tests, which creates an unfair measure of a student's ability. Making standardized exams a major factor in college enrollment forces teachers to create a test-centered curriculum, ignores the reality that students learn and excel in different ways, and promotes socioeconomic disparities between families of different races. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Every school system strives for the best standardized test scores, causing class curricula to shift from valuable lessons to rigorous preparation for the ACT or SAT, and students are looking for ways to study for a test to get the highest score. As Sumita Bhattacharyya, assistant professor of teacher education at Nicholls State University, explains, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law in 2002. This tied federal funding to schools to their students' progress. The concept behind this is that teachers will be held accountable for their students' learning and use standardized tests to measure it. This is intended to ensure that each child receives the proper assistance in the classroom to succeed, but instead creates stress among schools to improve each year. Therefore, teachers are forced to prioritize test material over important lessons that are more relevant to their subjects. Because math and reading levels are considered more important, other courses, such as history and science, are overlooked. Furthermore, the demand for high test scores begins as early as middle school, where former University of California President Richard Atkinson noted. Twelve-year-olds are already taught verb analogies in preparation for the ACT. However, the excessive focus on test scores is not the fault of the administration; they're just trying to make sure they don't get penalized for low scores. In any case, this forces teachers to instill certain concepts in children's heads instead of preparing them for their future. Standardized testing not only limits teachers, but also students. Since each student has a different learning method, it is not right to use only a timed test to define his intelligence. As Bhattacharyya bluntly states, “…not all students perform well on tests” (Bhattacharyya). Some kids tend to do better with group projects or class discussions or may excel in other topics that aren't examined as closely. Simply put, each child has different talents, so it is impossible to find criteria by which everyone will achieve success. Therefore, student transcripts are a better reflection, as many classes have a variety of tests, projects, and participation grades, which show valuable skills that standardized tests..