Standardized Testing

Does Standardized Testing Make the Grade

Evan Brown

July 24, 2007

Abstract

The rise in standardized testing has become a real problem within the educational system. The problems with it and statistical evidence that has been collected show a clear correlation in the fact that standardized tests are not good predictors. The uses of standardized test results have also gotten out of control and need to be regulated. The government and state have gone overboard and lost touch with the core value of education.

Introduction

Almost every American has taken at least one standardized test. A standardized test is defined as an examination given to a large group of students to gauge performance against a national average (called norm-referenced) (Pick, 2003). Standardized tests have been around since the early twentieth century, but it really began to rise in the middle of the 1960's. Around 1965 standardized tests began to play a more important role in the educational realm. Today students are constantly bombarded by standardized tests. Most students must take at least one standardized test each year. Most of these tests are mandated. Standardized testing is a rising problem that must be stopped before it gets out of control.

Education is not how well one can take a test. Instead it is the knowledge and understanding that a student possesses. This is why I believe that something must be done in order to prevent standardized testing detrimentally affecting the process of education. The government and states should not require standardized testing to determine academic advancement because of the uses of standardized testing, the statistics on standardized testing, and the problems with standardized testing.

Uses of Standardized Tests

People use standardized test results in a variety of ways. However, these people do not realize that the way that they are using the test results are highly unethical. Valid uses of standardized test scores include national ranking, curriculum evaluation, policy decisions, and diagnosis of weak areas in curriculum (Haladyna, 1998).

Misuse of test results occur many times in situations in which the test results are used in high stakes situations. What high-stakes means is when test scores can have significant consequences for students, teachers, schools, or school districts (Haladyna, 2006). When tests are used in high-stakes situations there is added pressure on the test taker and it brings into the question of how the test taker prepared for the test. High-stakes testing is very unethical because how can a person use a single test to show the test takers overall performance or ability. Another misuse of standardized tests is when they are used in political situations (Paris, 1991). An example of this would be a real estate agent quoting test scores of schools to persuade a potential home buyer into purchasing a home because of the school system. This is an extreme example that does happen in today's world. Also another example of misuse is noted by Rebecca Stahlman, a National Board certified teacher and instructor, when she notes how schools test scores are posted in the news and how teachers receive actual monetary bonuses based solely on test scores (Stahlman, 2005). To give money based upon the ability of a student to perform well on a test is very unethical. Another problem with this use is that it promotes cheating. When standardized testing was created it was not meant to be a means by which comparisons between schools, establishments, or students could be made. Its intended use was to give a way to compare to the average and after that act accordingly. Any person can see that the intended use of standardized test results has careened off course and is now being used in highly unethical situations. Standardized tests can be extremely beneficial so long as they are used ethically.

Statistical Data on Standardized Tests

Statistical data on standardized tests is easy to find and readily available. The statistics concerning standardized tests are extremely shocking. In a recent article in Education Week writer Laura Greifner reported on a survey that had just recently been taken. In a nationwide poll of 5,600 Kindergarten through Twelfth grade teachers just one percent of respondents thought that standardized testing is an effective way to assess the quality of schools (Greifner, 2007). This just goes to show that even the foundations of the educational process, teachers, feel as if standardized testing is not a good indicator of performance. Only Kentucky and Vermont use portfolios of students' work to measure their performance against state standards (Jost, 2001). This is obviously showing that students are now forced to perform well on tests or face dire consequences. Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act the American public now has access to see what schools scores are. With this information available one can see that nearly twelve percent of America's schools failed to meet "adequate yearly progress" that is defined by the No Child Left Behind Act for the second year in a row (Mantel, 2005). So as any person can see, since schools have failed for the second year in a row the concept of standardized testing helping schools is not a reality. Statistical data does not support standardized testing which should be looked at seriously and taken into account.

Problems with Standardized Testing

There are a multitude of problems that accompany standardized testing, but some of them are greater than others. With the great pressure that is placed upon schools there has been an increase of unethical methods that the schools are using in order to boost their test scores. Bhawin Suchak writes about the effect that the Texas Assessment of Academic Standards, which is considered one of the initial examples of high-stakes testing. The effect of it was that schools in Texas were creating ways that they could siphon off low scoring students into special education classes that would then exempt them from taking the Texas Assessment of Academic Standards (Suchak, 2001). This is a clear example of what the increased importance of standardized testing has caused schools to resort to. It is perform well on these tests and if a school does not then they lose money. Another problem is what causes test score pollution, or inaccuracy of test results. There are numerous origins of test score pollution. The main sources