Just because students receive a certain score on a test or are given a letter grade doesn't mean they are prepared to enter the next grade or continue their education. According to an article published through the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), letter grades will vary from school to school based on the chosen curriculum, the teacher's instructional strategies, weighted scores and final assessments. Students in lower socioeconomic school districts may not be prepared to further their education or read at their grade level, because standardized tests and grades may not be reflective of their actual abilities in the classroom.
Teachers may put too much emphasis on the letter grade and not enough on the learning process. While letter grades are able to chart a student's success or failure in a course, the focus tends to be on the end results. Giving just a letter grade on a paper doesn't offer students an opportunity to learn what they did wrong. Teachers who make specific comments about a paper or use the paper as a teaching tool can help improve the learning process, rather than just focusing on the end result. According to an article by veteran Atlanta teacher Laura Owen on the website Monster.com, some schools have begun reporting student progress through teacher narratives, rather than letter grades. This is used to evaluate a student's true understanding of a subject.
Because a teacher's job status and performance are determined by the results of test scores, that teacher may gear the curriculum to what is going to be on a specific standardized test. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing reports that raising test scores is the most important factor when determining the allocation of funds. Rather than focusing on the overall education of students, teachers plan the curriculum only by what is going to be covered on a test.
When taking tests, students may feel additional pressure before the exam and be unable to perform up to their capabilities. Students with certain learning disabilities may not be able to complete tests in the allotted time or may perform poorly, which can cause them to lose interest in school and become less motivated. The Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Connecticut reported that both teachers and students felt a tremendous amount of pressure when giving and taking standardized tests. Also, students who perform well in school may feel additional pressure to perform well and bring up the scores for the entire class, which results in a disengagement with the learning process.