Why Educational Standards Are Not Truly Objective

Abstract

Educational standards have become a popular choice for setting clear educational targets for students. The language of standards is that they are “objective” as opposed to typical tests which may suffer from bias. This article seeks to further analyze the claims that standards are objective and fair to all. The author focuses on six issues which illustrate the problematic nature of educational standards. Examples from the Common Core standards are chosen to show the range of problems associated with standards-based systems. Given these arguments, it is questionable as to whether educational standards represent a better alternative to norm-referenced tests