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Standardized Tests A mother of a fourth grade girl is concerned because her daughter gets all A’s and B’s, but does not do very well on standardized tests. The school contacted the mother to say that her daughter may be held back in school because of low standardized test scores. The girl’s mother does not think that holding her child back is fair and feels her daughter should not be held back on the basis of poor scores on state tests. The mother worries that holding her daughter back could affect her child in negative ways. She is afraid that it will ruin her daughter’s confidence and wonders why schools get so worried about standardized test scores (Osburn, 2002). There are many more stories like this about students who are held back because they do not test well on state tests, which are the main way to measure a teacher’s success in her classroom (Popham, 1999). There are several concerns about standardized tests and what should be done about them. The tests have been around for a very long time and seem to be a tradition in the classroom. Parents fall back on these tests and take the scores very seriously (Osburn, 2002). Standardized test scores are very important in the lives of students and can help in deciding their future success. Standardized tests have been used for years. Any test that is administered to students and has predetermined grading is considered a standardized test. There are mainly two types of standardized tests. These are aptitude and achievement tests (Popham, 1999). Aptitude tests help to predict how a student will perform in the future. ACT’s and SAT’s are considered aptitude tests because they predict how a student will do in college. Achievement tests are used to review a school. There are five achievement tests: California Achievement Tests, Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and Stanford Achievement Tests (Popham, 1999). There are many problems or arguments about standardized tests. One problem is the cost of these tests. Schools have to cut out programs, such as arts, recesses, and electives, to pay for these tests (Kohn, 2000). Several teachers feel they must teach to the test so that their students can do well on standardized tests. Teaching to the test hurts the school and children in two ways. First, the students get lower quality learning and less variation. Second, the tests do not measure the students’ knowledge and understanding but rather their temporary awareness of facts (Kohn, 2000). Teachers who work with students who score lower on standardized tests are more likely to leave the school than teachers who teach high scoring students because several schools pay on the basis of the students’ test scores, so the low-scoring teachers get paid less (Kohn, 2000). Some parents, teachers, and students consider standardized tests unfair. All of the students take the same test with one correct answer for each question. This means that the test does not consider the differences among students. For example, students who are English Second Language may not be able to do as well on the tests as English speaking students. This does not mean that the ESL students are less knowledgeable; they may just struggle with understanding the questions (“What’s Wrong”, 2003). Another problem with standardized tests is that they are not reliable. According to the article “What’s Wrong with Standardized Test?,” a test is considered reliable “if you get exactly the same results the second time you administered it.” The majority of students who take a standardized test twice will score differently on it both times (“What’s Wrong”, 2003). Most standardized tests are multiple-choice. The questions do not test how students write, use math, understand reasoning, or use social science concepts. The tests do not evaluate students’ thinking skills or how they use their knowledge in the real world (“What’s Wrong”, 2003). Another problem is that the tests do not help teachers in any way. Research has shown that teachers do not understand the grading and find that they do not know what to do or how to help the low scoring students. Most of the teachers do not understand what specific area the student needs help in because of the broad categories and grading (“What’s Wrong”, 2003). Children who score low on standardized tests are more likely to have low self-esteem. These students feel that they are either not as smart as other students or are behind in their knowledge (Hyman, 2003). This means that some students may begin not believing in themselves at a very young age (Hyman, 2003). Another problem that arises from standardized tests is funding. Schools that score lower or average on these tests receive less funding than the high scoring schools, thus requiring these low scoring schools to cut programs (Hyman, 2003). Schools are judged and compared to one another through tests. Schools compete with each other to see who can get the best scores, which promotes both competition in the schools and also a winner/loser environment (Pollard, 2002). Standardized tests do not show how well a child is artistically or how well he or she adjusts to situations. These are just a couple concepts that the tests do not measure, but that are important in how the child learns and affects how well they will do in school (Osburn, 2002). There have been several studies done that deal with standardized testing. One of the studies that was done was “Standardized tests: Irregularities in Administering of Tests Results.” This study looked at the irregularities that may occur when administering the state tests. As stated by the authors of “Standardized Tests: Irregularities in Administering of Tests Results,” there are several types of irregularities that do occur (Gay, 1990). They say there are problems like “inaccurate timing, altering answer sheets, coaching, teaching the test, errors in scoring/reporting, and student cheating” (Gay, 1990). The study was done with 168 teachers and 8 regional research coordinators in North Carolina. The results of the study show that many teachers have changed the test in various ways for their students. A chart showing these results is attached (Gay, 1990). The study asked if the respondents were aware of the test irregularities. The results are: 3rd grade, 40% said yes, 58% said no, and 2% did not answer; 6th grade, 39% said yes, 58% said no, and 2% did not answer; 8th grade, 43% said yes, 55% said no, and 2% did not answer; 10th grade, 21% said yes, 77% said no, and 2% did not answer (Gay, 1990). The study also asked if irregularities had been reported. The results were: 3rd grade, 6% said yes and 94% said no; 6th grade, 31% said yes and 69% said no; 8th grade, 22% said yes and 78% said no; 10th grade, 20% said yes and 80% said no (Gay, 1990). This study shows that there are irregularities in standardized tests and they are not being dealt with properly. Another study done dealt with site management and its effects on test scores. The study was given to 35 Virginia elementary schools. The study worked with 4th grade students (Lawton, 1996). The results of the study show that there seems to be no effect on the scores due to site-based management. It does show, however, that socioeconomic status seems to vary scores (Lawton, 1996). The study stated that site-based management is “the involvement of teachers in making decisions” (Lawton, 1996). During the time that this study was done, 1991-1994, the scores declined in 18 of the schools and increased in 13 of the schools. The rest of the schools had no real change. A study was done working with two forms of mathematics curricula and their effects on standardized test scores. The schools were using either everyday mathematics or connected mathematics (Riordan et al., 2001). The study used the results from the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program from 1992 to 1996 and the results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System from 1998 (Riordan et al., 2001). There were 67 schools who used everyday mathematics and 21 schools who used connected mathematics. The study also included schools that used regular mathematics. The results showed that individual students that used connected mathematics or everyday mathematics scored better than the regular mathematics students (Riordan et al., 2001). These results show that standardized test results should not be compared from school to school because of the difference in the curricula. There have not been too many changes done to help correct standardized tests. Some schools have begun changing their curricula to make them focus more on developing the students and not assessing them (Hyman, 2003). These schools have children work together and realize that each child has a talent. The students learn during school and outside of school through jobs and other activities. Rhona Weinstein has done research with both public and private schools. She worked with one public high school and found that “schools need to raise their expectations for students in more productive ways” (Hyman, 2003). After her research and collaboration with the school, the teachers and students were happy with the results. They raised the students’ achievements, and students raised their own expectations (Hyman, 2003). Many people believe in standardized tests, so because of this not much has been done to correct them. There are several alternatives to standardized tests. Parents should be notified about their child’s performance directly from the teacher either verbally or written. Teachers need to communicate with the students on a regular basis to help assess the children. Observations of the students need to be used in the classroom to help assess and understand each child (Pollard, 2002). There are several different forms of assessment that teachers can use. One is portfolio-based assessment. The teacher keeps records and works of each child to share with the parents and to help assess the child’s performance in school. Teachers can use performance exams. These exams are given to each child and focus on a specific concept liking writing an essay or giving a presentation orally (Peterson et al., 1999). Proficiency Exit Standards is an assessment tool that uses portfolios, performance exams, and standardized tests. The proficiency exit standards are specific things that the students must reach in order to go on to the next grade. Teachers can use exhibitions. This is a display of children’s work for the teacher to assess and other students to see (Peterson et al., 1999). Another good assessment tool is parent-teacher conferences. The teachers and parents need to get together to discuss how the child acts and performs both at school and at home (Peterson et al., 1999). Teachers use school report cards to help assess a child and how he or she is performing in school. These report cards help the parents see how their child is doing and helps decide whether the child should move on to the next grade or not. One way to assess the schools’ performance is to make sure it uses “school quality review teams.” These teams are educated and trained individuals who visit schools, observe classes, and review the curriculum to make sure they are quality schools (Peterson et al., 2003). If schools continue to use standardized tests they need to change certain aspects of the tests. The tests should not be timed and should not be multiple-choice questions. Students should get a chance to work out the problems and finish the entire test. The tests should not be graded on a norm. The students should not be told they are above or below the norm. The scores should be compared considering differences in the schools, like socioeconomic status and lack of resources (Pollard, 2002). Standardized tests should be used less frequently. The tests are costly and do not need to be given repeatedly (Pollard, 2002). Standardized tests can be used in the classroom but should not be the main assessment tool used. If schools continue to use only state tests to assess their students the schools are going to have several problems. Schools are going to be holding back students that do not need to be held back. Students who are ESL or from low socioeconomic status may be assessed incorrectly and may be held back from doing things they are capable of, like attending a certain college. These tests are going to continue to lower children’s self-esteem and make them dislike school and learning. Teachers may also begin teaching to the test more, causing the students to get poorer quality educations (Pollard, 2002). If funding for schools continues to be based on test scores, several schools may need to close down. Teachers are going to quit faster if they have a low scoring class because they are not being paid well. Standardized tests are taking over schools and assessment, and their use needs to be stopped. These tests can be used, but they need to be used minimally and with other assessment tools.
Occurrence of irregularities in the Administration
of Standardized Test as Reported by Teachers
Grade
Test irregularity 3 6 8 10
Added extra time to the publisher(s)
time limits
Colleague 8 4 7 4
Self 4 1 1 0
Changed responses on answer sheets
Colleague 1 2 0 0
Self 0 0 0 0
Coached students in answering questions
Colleague 10 6 3 5
Self 1 1 0 0
Suggested answers to students
Colleague 3 3 2 3
Self 0 0 0 0
Taught sections of the test
Colleague 10 9 12 7
Self 2 1 2 4
Other
Colleague 4 4 6 1
Self 2 1 1 0
Table from Standardized Tests: Irregularities in Administering of Tests Affect Test Results by Genevieve Hodgi Gay from the Journal of Instructional Psychology. |
