The United States of America has ranked at the bottom of the educational ladder over the years. The cause of such low rankings is due to the focus on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student's ability, a teacher's competence, or a school's competence. Cheating can be a common routine in a classroom, whether it is copying work on an assignment or copying answers onto a computer. a test. “Cheating by teachers and administrators on standardized tests is rare, and that's no reason to stop testing America's children” (Standardized Tests). This claim is false by the fact that thirty-seven states were caught cheating by "encouraging teachers to view upcoming test forms before administering them" ("FairTest Press Release: Standardized Exam Cheating in 37 States And DC, New Report Shows Widespread Corruption of Test Results"). If teachers can view a test before it is administered, they can teach the test so that their students' scores will be higher. Teachers who have viewed the test can then “train students on upcoming test items” (“FairTest Press Release: Standardized Exam Cheating in 37 States And DC, New Report Shows Widespread Test Score Corruption”). This is morally wrong since teachers who do not have access to an actual test or those who refuse to view it do not know what will be contained in the test and cover a broad area of ​​material, not just specific items. Even if the subject is taught constantly. , standardized tests cannot accurately measure a student's abilities. The tests are "single-targeted", meaning that every student, regardless of achievement or ability level, course choice or background...... middle of paper..... .Open testing. Np March 27, 2013. Web. March 18, 2014. “NCEE>>Finland: educational systems. NCEE. Np, and Web. March 30, 2014. .Phelps, Richard P. “Characteristics of an Effective Student Testing System.” » Standardized tests. Np November 1, 2013. Web. March 20, 2014. “Standardized Testing – ProCon.org.” ProConorg Titles. Np, and Web. April 3, 2014. .Tung, Stephen. “How the Finnish school system eclipses American education.” Stanford. Np January 20, 2012. Web. March 21 2014. .