Standardized Testing Pros

Standardized testing is the most commonly used and well known method of testing used in the United States and many other countries around the world, but can harm educational quality and promote inequality. Standardized testing is used to determine student achievement, growth and progress. Standardized tests are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same, predetermined conditions and with consistent scoring and interpretation so that students have equal opportunities to give correct answers and receive accurate assessments. The idea is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing results across schools, school districts, or states. Standardized tests are also used to determine progress in schools,

a students’ ability to attend colleges and universities, and to place students in programs suited to their abilities. Examples of standardized testing currently used in Ohio include the Ohio Proficiency Test, the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT).

Standardized testing dates all the way back to the 1880s. When Horace Mann developed a test to administer to a group of students his intentions were to determine how the students were doing at their current levels and decide if they were capable of advancing to a higher level. These early tests had no negative repercussions but rather answered a simple question: Should the student remain at their current level or proceed to the next level of academic difficulty.

In the early 1930s the first admissions test was developed by James B. Conant, president of Harvard University. He was searching for a reliable way to measure student achievement without taking into consideration who was taking the test or what background they came from. He believed this would provide a real rationale for excluding those who they did not particularly want to enter Harvard. He was soon proved wrong as those from humble beginnings began to score very high on the tests and ultimately earned acceptance into Harvard. This test was eventually adapted to become what is known today as the Scholastic Aptitude Test or better known as the SAT.

In 1994, the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) began making efforts to
analyze student scores but had no real consequences for schools whose students were performing poorly. Redirecting the focus to actual test scores was a major step in improving education in America and was most likely the motivational factor and idea behind the next and current step taken in education reform.

In 2001, President, George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This act combines the goals of the ESEA and IASA, but rather than just setting goals, NCLB lays out consequences for not achieving high enough test scores. The act created a plan of action for schools as well as programs to help fix the problems and keep them from reoccurring. While standardized testing has been utilized for over 100 years, it has never carried the weight that it does today.

Teachers are having problems with the emphasis the NCLB Act has placed on standardized test scores. There is such great pressure for students to receive a certain score or show the amount of improvement required that curriculum has become too narrow and teachers are focusing only on getting through the test material and less on real learning. For teachers, that creates stress to meet requirements on time. They have to decipher through the material and decide what will be on the test and what will not be on the test. Ultimately they are forced to choose between what’s “important” enough to teach and what will be left out. When the curriculum is narrowed to teaching test taking skills only, the students lose out on a rich and full education. If a teacher chooses to teach what they know, but may not be found on a test, may affect students scores which in turn will reflect negatively on the teacher. This leads to problems with teacher retention which causes schools problems in finding and retaining highly qualified teachers.

Standardized tests have become high-stakes tests. Their results are used as sole factors to make decisions regarding graduation/grade promotion, school funding and the curriculum that is being taught in schools. Standardized tests diminish creativity in teaching, have emotional effects on the students taking them, and can be biased against students with disabilities,
students from varying cultures and students with language barriers and students from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Some students who successfully demonstrate learning through classroom performance do not score well on standardized tests. These often include students with test anxiety and students with learning disabilities. Students whose first language is not English also tend to score lower on standardized tests. Extensive research shows that students who are held back do not progress academically as well as comparable students who are promoted to the next grade level. The students who are held back also suffer from a loss of self-esteem and are more likely to drop out of school. Comprehensive national studies have found that graduation tests lead to higher dropout rates while they do not improve learning for those who choose to stay in school.

Standardized testing has forced society to punish students for adults’ failure to provide children with the necessary tools for success. Many students, particularly those from low-income and minority families, along with English language learners and the disabled attend under-funded schools or lack access to higher educational programs necessary for their success. Young adults who don’t obtain a diploma because of standardized testing hurdles earn far less, have less stable families, and are more likely to be imprisoned.

While the disadvantages of standardized testing are huge and can be detrimental to students, there are some small advantages too. Practically would be the biggest advantage by far. Standardized tests are less time-consuming than more complicated assessments that need personal time with every student. Standardized tests are easier to administer. There are explicit directions given and student is given the same directions in the same way.

Objectivity and accountability are both positive aspects of standardized testing.

It is very easy for a test to be objective. It does not have emotion or biases. When giving more personal assessments, it is very easy for the teacher assessing the student to express their emotions or biases that can affect how they score a student. Standardized tests also allow for

accountability. Setting high expectations for students and holding them accountable for the same standards leads to achievement gains. High-stakes testing can force students to take their education seriously.

Standardized testing can be a powerful tool to change classroom and school practices. We can use testing to tell us whether we have a problem and where. Once we identify the problem in the classroom, school or district we can take active steps to correct the problem. Standardized testing data can provide teachers with valuable information to improve classroom and student learning.

The biggest advantage to standardized testing is the standardization. Since all students in a school are taking the same test standardized tests provide an accurate comparison across students. It allows for all students to be held accountable for the same material and levels the playing field in many diverse school systems. When students advance to the next grade, we know that they have all been exposed to the same concepts, despite the demographics of each

school.

Value- added assessment is not a new concept and could possibly be used in place of the standardized testing we currently have.

Value-added assessment allows the students achievements to be recorded and charted. Using data from their past scores, a projection of future scores in produced. This projection shows the scores a student has gotten and based on those scores it comes up with a goal that the student should attain if they remain academically on track. Value added assessment focuses entirely on individual student success and improvement. There is no comparison between students and therefore there is no pressure on students to fit into a certain percentile or pressure on educators to have every student at the same level. Value-added assessment puts less emphasis on tests and all the emphasis on learning and increasing the students own level of learning.

However, I believe standardized testing is here to say and the key to success in standardized testing is balance. Those in charge need to step back and take into account both the positive and negative aspects of

standardized testing. They need to find an even medium to help students and teachers succeed without causing too much stress. Test results should be used as a guide for teachers, parents and students. Results should be used in a limited capacity to assess how well schools are doing. Standardized testing can certainly be used to measure a school’s success, but it should be only one assessment among several that determine

when a school’s students are progressing or not.

Works Cited

Mitchell, Ruth. “The Nature of Assessment: A Guide to Standardized Testing.” The Center for Public Education 26 Oct 2010. http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/c.lvIXIiN0JwE/b.5056963/k.C9B6/The_nature_of_assessment_A_guide_to_standardized_testing.htm Stone, J.E. Value-Added Assessment: An Accountability Revolution. Education Consumers Clearing House 28 Oct 2010. http://www.education-consumers.com/articles/value_added_assessment.shtm Hall, Eric. The History of Standardized Testing. e How 26 Oct 2010. http://www.ehow.com/about_5392902_history-standardized-test.html Pandey, Kundan. Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing. Buzzle.com 24 Oct. 2010. http://www.ehow.com/about_5392902_history-standardized-test.html No Child Left Behind Act. U.S. Department of Education ED.gov 26 Oct. 2010. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/states/index.html Student Assessment and Testing. The Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium 25 Oct. 2010. http://www.maec.org/educate/11.html What’s Wrong With Standardized Tests? Fair Test The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. 25 Oct. 2010. http://www.fairtest.org/whats-wrong-standardized-tests