So Many Tests—What is the Ultimate Outcome?
Publishing Solutions Group
Full-service development, production, translation and audio for print & digital products. K-16. SOWMBA certified.
Meg Carey
Fall 2023 Intern
Background
Standardized tests are a huge part of the American education system, and have been used since the mid-1800s when Horace Mann, an educator from Boston known as “the Father of American Education,” decided that oral tests were to be replaced with formal written exams in Boston Public Schools. While his exact methods of testing were not replicated elsewhere, his idea that written tests would allow for a more equitable system of education caught on. Standardized tests were implemented across the country by the mid-1900s with the goal to assess intelligence through written questions.1?
Since then, tests have become integrated into the American education system, from college entrance exams, to AP tests, to week-by-week summative assessments. These tests all essentially have the same goal, which is to assess students’ academic abilities through “common standard” questions in subjects like math and English, prioritizing memorization over creative thinking or problem-solving. They’ve become a part of the “norm,” but in recent years there has been noticeable backlash from students and teachers alike against the use of such excessive testing. There has also been a push for alternative routes of assessing students’ abilities.
Testing Today
Nowadays, standardized tests, and tests in general, are mandated throughout the country to assess students’ abilities in the classroom. They often take the form of written, fill-in-the-blank, or multiple choice assessments, and the same or similar questions are distributed between students. Students are estimated to take 112 standardized tests from kindergarten to third grade.2?
Students and teachers both argue that far too much class time is used preparing for and taking assessments, especially when these assessments are not proven to improve student achievement. Though the goal is to assess students’ abilities and whether they have learned the material, testing also acts as an assessment for teachers and whether they have taught the curriculum effectively. This applies pressure on both sides, and it causes students and teachers alike to dread these tests.3 Additionally, many argue that this tactic of testing is inequitable towards disadvantaged students, due to the differences in the quality of education in different parts of the country. In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed, which aimed to give some protection towards less-advantaged and high-need students, and to overall improve the standardized testing system in the country. The act promised to provide high-quality educational materials and vital information to educators, students, families, and communities through statewide assessments to measure students’ progress towards the high standards set nationwide. While this attempt at promoting equity had positive outcomes, many claim that the ESSA is not enough; they argue that the system of testing in the United States must be completely reinvented in order to be fully equitable and accessible for every student.?
The Ultimate Outcome (Pros and Cons)
Supporters of standardized testing see the tests as scientifically objective ways of measuring student performance. They also see them as a way to hold schools accountable for the money taxpayers give them, assuring them that their children have been given a proper education. The tests assess what students have learned in a straightforward manner, identify strengths and weaknesses, and in turn, assess the teachers and school systems as well.?
However, many claim that standardized tests function under the guise of scientific objectivity, while being unable to account for different patterns of thinking and cognition between individual students. There are many styles of learning, and no one student will obtain and be able to recount the exact same information in the exact same way.? In addition to not accounting for differing learning styles, the tests do not account for students whose native language is not English, those with differences or disabilities, or those who are from disadvantaged backgrounds—which makes the testing system fundamentally inequitable. Many also claim that educators are limited in what they are able to teach due to the limits of these tests, and that using the test scores to publicly display the “intelligence” of students county by county is discouraging and anxiety-inducing for teachers and students alike. The publicity of the cumulative scores applies pressure on both sides, and the stress that comes from administering and taking tests, many argue, can cause inaccuracies in the overall results.? This brings question to the actual effectiveness of standardized testing for deeper learning.
But still, testing is used in order to determine college admission, high school graduation, college class credits, and scholarships or financial aid—it’s such a big aspect of the culture of education, and it can seem outright impossible to replace. However, these tests cannot be effective for every single student, and for many, they cannot accurately represent what students have learned. So, what are some alternate ways of assessing growth and effective teaching in the classroom?
Alternate solutions
One popular alternative to standardized tests is performance-based assessment. These types of tests prompt students to engage with real-world tasks and to apply their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. These assessments can include independent research; community, group, or individual hands-on projects; work-based learning or internships; group or individual presentations; and essays, to name a few. There are endless ways to administer performance-based assessments, which is why they tend to work so well for students and promote engagement on all ends. Students can participate in debates, create a work of art, build a prototype, develop a computer program or website, or do other tasks in order to assess their real-world capabilities and skills.? Performance-based assessments allow for deeper engagement and understanding from students. They also allow for teachers to understand students’ abilities on a deeper level. This would, in turn, create a more equitable learning environment for everyone. In these settings, students can be assessed on an individual level, rather than by the standard, collective baseline that standardized tests use to assess student achievement.?
Publishing Solutions Group?
Publishing Solutions Group is well versed in designing and implementing many different types of assessments outside of and within the realm of standardized testing. We can also help with providing rubrics for performance-based assessments like essays or presentations. We aim to help educators strengthen their ways of assessing student achievement and hope to bring skill-focused assessments into the classroom in order to promote equity and deeper learning.
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Links
References
Gershon, L. (2018, May 17). A Short History of Standardized Tests | JSTOR Daily. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/short-history-standardized-tests/
Kaufman, S. B. (2013, December 20). Standardized Achievement Tests: What Are They Good For? Hint: Not Cognitive Ability. Scientific American Blog Network. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/standardized-achievement-tests-what-are-they-good-for-hint-not-cognitive-ability/#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20substantial%20correlation
Kelly, M. (2019, June 15). What Are the Many Purposes of Testing? ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-purpose-of-tests-7688#:~:text=They%20are%20used%20to%20determine
Lakin, K. (2023, October 24). Performance-Based Assessment: A Tool for Long-Lasting Learning. www.dhirubhai.net . https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/performance-based-assessment-tool-long-lasting-xzpze
Performance-Based Learning and Assessment. (2023). https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/plan-pilot/fact-sheet-performance-based-learning-assessment.pdf
Strauss, V. (2015, October 24). Confirmed: Standardized testing has taken over our schools. But who’s to blame? The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/10/24/confirmed-standardized-testing-has-taken-over-our-schools-but-whos-to-blame/
Tatter, G. (2019, February 12). Tests and Stress Bias | Harvard Graduate School of Education. Www.gse.harvard.edu . https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/19/02/tests-and-stress-bias
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn