THE BOYS' BRIGADE

Arguments for and against standardized testing have dominated conversation in the world of academia and education in the United States for nearly a century, but the concept of testing schoolchildren according to a certain state-approved standard has its roots in ancient China. The ancient Chinese formulated testing of the Six Arts, some of which run parallel with today's subject matter such as mathematics and language arts, as early as the 6th century CE. Later in history, it was the British who adopted the notion of standardized testing, based in large part on the earlier Chinese example, and the concept took hold throughout most of the 19th century. However, it was in Great Britain that a major change was administered to the idea of the ancient Chinese, and standardized testing began to meet with mixed emotion in regard to the British populace. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, educational standards began to exclude certain subject areas that the ancient Chinese revered as just as important as other facets of the Six Arts. British lawmakers, reformers and business leaders were opposed to the idea of a higher education based strongly in the liberal arts because they needed workers to run factories, not philosophers and artists to comment on life. Subject areas, such as music, ritual and calligraphy, were completely omitted from this new 19th century British version of education. In addition to the omission of these subject areas, the concept of standardized testing now applied to an entire population as compulsory attendance was implemented at this time. Many people in Europe opposed the notion, choosing to remain steadfast to the ancient Greek approach of open debate. However, because of mass hysteria about the fall of the British empire if standardized testing was not ratified, it was. Since that time, it is the primary notion of an official education throughout the world.In the United States, standardized testing has run into more criticism from educators and parents alike. Many believe that standardized testing is a means of producing competent workers, instead of educated citizens. This belief that education and the desires of commerce go hand-in-hand is found almost everywhere in the United States of the 21st century.