Nolan Brennan
Mr. Frank
English 1030
14 Nov. 2014
In our contemporary educational system, schools rely on standardized testing to judge students on their learning abilities and educational standing. Although this form of testing exists to grade students on a predetermined “standard”, various limitations arise from the tests. Standardized testing has been established, especially in the United States, as the norm for mass testing. This system has been applied to students from a wide variety of ages and cultural/racial backgrounds. Despite the wide acceptance of standardized testing, one must ask themselves if this system truly demonstrates the individual abilities and talents of each student.
In order to fully understand the problems that result from standardized testing, one must first learn about standardized tests. Standardized tests are defined by W. James Popham, former president of the American Educational Research Association, as "any test that's administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner." (Popham). Standardized testing exists to place individual students on a single, generalized level. If all students take the same test, it is easier to assess their learning abilities and overall educational success. According to the Center for Public Education, all states are mandated by NCLB to use standardized testing which serves to reform public schools in three ways: “high standards for what all students should know and do, tests aligned to the standards to gauge student progress, and accountability for schools based on the results.” (Patte). Concerning the tests, students take the same test in similar conditions so that results can determine student performance in hopes that the results of these standardized tests can be compared across schools, districts, and sometimes nationally. Standardized tests are usually developed and administered by private commercial test developing agencies who try to create tests that are fair so that it serves to properly measure the skills of the students (Patte). Many people think that standardized tests are limited to multiple-choice tests. On the contrary, these tests can include short answer questions and even long essays. The American education system has used standardized testing to assess the performance of students since the mid-18th century (Procon). The use of standardized testing experienced a sudden increase in 2002 following President Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (Bush).
There also exists a rich history behind standardized testing that has allowed it to become a normality in educational systems all across the world. The earliest known standardized tests were administered in 7th Century Imperial China (Matthews). These specific tests were administered to those who were applying for government jobs. The tests were founded on a difficult "eight-legged essay" format. The applicants were tested on their knowledge of Confucian philosophy. In the Western world, the Industrial Revolution initiated the standardized testing age. Standardized tests allowed new students to be tested more efficiently and in a fair way. In the mid-1800s, Boston school reformers Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe, introduced standardized testing to Boston schools. The new tests were supposed to provide a "single standard by which to judge and compare the output of each school" (Matthews). Boston's program was soon adopted by school systems nationwide. (Matthews). Concerns about testing began in 1906. The New York State Department of Education believed that "it is a very great and more serious evil to sacrifice systematic instruction and a comprehensive view of the subject for the scrappy and unrelated knowledge gained by students who are persistently drilled in the mere answering of questions issued by the Education Department or other governing bodies." (Nichols). The Kansas Silent Reading Test (1914-1915) is the earliest multiple-choice test. This specific test was developed by Frederick J. Kelly a director of a school in Kansas. Kelly created the test to reduce "time and effort" (Zimmerman). In 1934, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) hired Reynold B. Johnson (best known for creating the world's first commercial computer disk drive) to create model of a test scoring machine (Zimmerman).
Despite the serious problems that arise from the standardized testing system, the idea of standardized testing has some positive aspects. Proponents argue that standardized tests are a fair and measure of student ability. Those that advocate for standardized testing say that the tests ensure teachers and schools are accountable to taxpayers (Phelps 21). Phelps also utilizes various polls to prove that the overall population still prefers standardized testing as an avid means of determining student performance According to a 100-year analysis of testing research completed in 2011 by testing scholar Richard P. Phelps, 93% of studies on student testing, including the use of large-scale and high-stakes standardized tests, found a "positive effect" on student achievement (16). Many people justify the use of standardized testing by pointing out that without them, there would be no way to accurately determine student abilities on a larger scale. Without standardized tests, testing agencies would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools (Procon). Multiple-choice tests, graded by machine, are not subject to human subjectivity or bias. Other believers think that standardized testing is successful because countries like China that lead the world in math, reading, and science, use standardized testing. Despite the possible merit that lies behind these claims, there are substantial drawbacks that arise from the biased and unsuccessful system surrounding standardized testing.
Although standardized testing has some positive impact on the educational system in the United States, the negative influence on the students and the overall unsuccessful nature of the tests outweigh the minor gains achieved. There is wide variety of problems that arise from standardized testing, one of the biggest being the lack of improvement of students due to the hindrances of standardized testing. After No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed in 2002, the US slipped from 18th in the world in math on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science and no change in reading (See Appendix 1) (Shanghai). A May 26, 2011, National Research Council report found no evidence test-based incentive programs are working: "Despite using them for several decades, policymakers and educators do not yet know how to use test-based incentives to consistently generate positive effects on achievement and to improve education."
Standardized tests are also unfair and discriminatory against non-English speakers and students with special needs. Foreign students whose first language is not English are forced to taking these tests even though they have not fully mastered the language. Children receiving special education for their special needs also take the same tests as normal students. These children unfortunately receive few of the accommodations that should be provided to them through their Individualized Education Plans (IEP) (McKinght).
Standardized tests measure only a small portion of what makes education meaningful. According to late education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, qualities that standardized tests cannot measure include "creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity." (Strauss). Also, an obsession with testing robs children of their childhoods. NCLB's mandate begins in third grade, but schools test younger students so they will get used to taking tests. A March 2009 research from the Alliance for Childhood showed "time for play in most public kindergartens has dwindled to the vanishing point, replaced by lengthy lessons and standardized testing." (Miller). A three-year study completed in Oct. 2010 by the Gesell Institute of Human Development showed that increased emphasis on testing is making "children feel like failures now as early as PreK..." Excessive testing may teach children to be good at taking tests, but does not prepare them for productive adult lives.
"Teaching to the test" is replacing good teaching practices with "drill n' kill" rote learning. A five-year University of Maryland study completed in 2007 found "the pressure teachers were feeling to 'teach to the test'" since NCLB was leading to "declines in teaching higher-order thinking, in the amount of time spent on complex assignments, and in the actual amount of high cognitive content in the curriculum." (Jacobs).
Testing is expensive and costs have increased since NCLB, placing a burden on state education budgets. According to the Texas Education Agency, the state spent $9 million in 2003 to test students, while the cost to Texas taxpayers from 2009 through 2012 is projected to be around $88 million per year. (Martinez). The billion dollar testing industry is notorious for making costly and time-consuming scoring errors. NCS Pearson, which has a $254 million contract to administer Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test, delivered the 2010 results more than a month late and their accuracy was challenged by over half the state's superintendents (Strauss). After errors and distribution problems in 2004-2005, Hawaii replaced test publisher Harcourt with American Institutes for Research, but the latter had to re-grade 98,000 tests after students received scores for submitting blank test booklets (“Errors…”).
The multiple-choice format used on standardized tests is an inadequate assessment tool. It encourages a simplistic way of thinking in which there are only right and wrong answers, which doesn't apply in real-world situations. The format is also biased toward male students, who studies have shown adapt more easily to the game-like point scoring of multiple-choice questions. America is facing a "creativity crisis," as standardized testing and rote learning "dumb down" curricula and jeopardize the country's economic future. A 2010 College of William & Mary study found Americans' scores on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking have been dropping since 1990, and researcher Kyung-Hee Kim lays part of the blame on the increase in standardized testing: "If we neglect creative students in school because of the structure and the testing movement... then they become underachievers." (Zagursky).
Although the standardized testing system is extremely flawed, it has been established as a pivotal part of the American school system. The negative aspects that are imposed upon students by standardized testing outshine any degree of gains that could be achieved through this system of testing. With this in mind, one must remember that standardized testing is incredibly hard to extract from our educational system. Instead, one must prepare themselves to deal with the negative effects that standardized testing might place on them. Standardized testing overall presents flaws to the education system in America. Ideally, standardized testing should be disbanded and not made a requirement due to its inability to assess students’ cognitive and creative skills. How can we hope to produce creative thinkers and enlightened individuals if we judge them based on a test created for the masses?
Works Cited
Barth, Patte, and Ruth Mitchell. "Standardized Tests and Their Impact on Schooling: Q&A." Center for Public Education. Center for Public Education, 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"George W. Bush: Moments That Defined His Presidency." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 05 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Matthews, Jay. "Just Whose Idea Was All This Testing?" The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Phelps, Richard P. Defending Standardized Testing. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2005. Print.
Popham, W. James. "Standardized Testing Fails the Exam." Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, 23 Mar. 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
"Standardized Tests." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 3 July 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Nichols, Sharon Lynn., and David C. Berliner. Collateral Damage: How High-Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education, 2007. Print.
Zimmerman, Barry J., and Dale H. Schunk. Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2003. Print.
"Shanghai Tops International Test Scores." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
McKnight, Katherine. "Opting Out of NCLB Testing." Katherine McKnight Blog. N.p., 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Strauss, Valerie. "The Myths of Standardized Testing." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Miller, Edward, and Joan Almon. Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood, 2009. Print.
Jacobs, Bruce. "No Child Left Behind's Emphasis on 'Teaching to the Test' Undermines Quality Teaching,” Endeavors, Dec. 2007. Print.
Martinez, Marcy. "TAKS Test Taking a Bite Out of Budget?" Valley Central. N.p., 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"Errors Grow with Mounting Test Pressures." Fair Test. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Zagursky, Erin. "Smart? Yes. Creative? Not so Much." William & Mary. The College of William and Mary, 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
Also, in the original I included an appendix so if you would like to see it all together, this is the link to the essay in Google docs: https://docs.google.com/a/g.clemson.edu/document/d/1zAROWtgxi10Ry2zH_Sq9La_FlbgmH_wZVYlIZmAYQI8/edit?usp=sharing
Mr. Frank
English 1030
14 Nov. 2014
In our contemporary educational system, schools rely on standardized testing to judge students on their learning abilities and educational standing. Although this form of testing exists to grade students on a predetermined “standard”, various limitations arise from the tests. Standardized testing has been established, especially in the United States, as the norm for mass testing. This system has been applied to students from a wide variety of ages and cultural/racial backgrounds. Despite the wide acceptance of standardized testing, one must ask themselves if this system truly demonstrates the individual abilities and talents of each student.
In order to fully understand the problems that result from standardized testing, one must first learn about standardized tests. Standardized tests are defined by W. James Popham, former president of the American Educational Research Association, as "any test that's administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner." (Popham). Standardized testing exists to place individual students on a single, generalized level. If all students take the same test, it is easier to assess their learning abilities and overall educational success. According to the Center for Public Education, all states are mandated by NCLB to use standardized testing which serves to reform public schools in three ways: “high standards for what all students should know and do, tests aligned to the standards to gauge student progress, and accountability for schools based on the results.” (Patte). Concerning the tests, students take the same test in similar conditions so that results can determine student performance in hopes that the results of these standardized tests can be compared across schools, districts, and sometimes nationally. Standardized tests are usually developed and administered by private commercial test developing agencies who try to create tests that are fair so that it serves to properly measure the skills of the students (Patte). Many people think that standardized tests are limited to multiple-choice tests. On the contrary, these tests can include short answer questions and even long essays. The American education system has used standardized testing to assess the performance of students since the mid-18th century (Procon). The use of standardized testing experienced a sudden increase in 2002 following President Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (Bush).
There also exists a rich history behind standardized testing that has allowed it to become a normality in educational systems all across the world. The earliest known standardized tests were administered in 7th Century Imperial China (Matthews). These specific tests were administered to those who were applying for government jobs. The tests were founded on a difficult "eight-legged essay" format. The applicants were tested on their knowledge of Confucian philosophy. In the Western world, the Industrial Revolution initiated the standardized testing age. Standardized tests allowed new students to be tested more efficiently and in a fair way. In the mid-1800s, Boston school reformers Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe, introduced standardized testing to Boston schools. The new tests were supposed to provide a "single standard by which to judge and compare the output of each school" (Matthews). Boston's program was soon adopted by school systems nationwide. (Matthews). Concerns about testing began in 1906. The New York State Department of Education believed that "it is a very great and more serious evil to sacrifice systematic instruction and a comprehensive view of the subject for the scrappy and unrelated knowledge gained by students who are persistently drilled in the mere answering of questions issued by the Education Department or other governing bodies." (Nichols). The Kansas Silent Reading Test (1914-1915) is the earliest multiple-choice test. This specific test was developed by Frederick J. Kelly a director of a school in Kansas. Kelly created the test to reduce "time and effort" (Zimmerman). In 1934, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) hired Reynold B. Johnson (best known for creating the world's first commercial computer disk drive) to create model of a test scoring machine (Zimmerman).
Despite the serious problems that arise from the standardized testing system, the idea of standardized testing has some positive aspects. Proponents argue that standardized tests are a fair and measure of student ability. Those that advocate for standardized testing say that the tests ensure teachers and schools are accountable to taxpayers (Phelps 21). Phelps also utilizes various polls to prove that the overall population still prefers standardized testing as an avid means of determining student performance According to a 100-year analysis of testing research completed in 2011 by testing scholar Richard P. Phelps, 93% of studies on student testing, including the use of large-scale and high-stakes standardized tests, found a "positive effect" on student achievement (16). Many people justify the use of standardized testing by pointing out that without them, there would be no way to accurately determine student abilities on a larger scale. Without standardized tests, testing agencies would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools (Procon). Multiple-choice tests, graded by machine, are not subject to human subjectivity or bias. Other believers think that standardized testing is successful because countries like China that lead the world in math, reading, and science, use standardized testing. Despite the possible merit that lies behind these claims, there are substantial drawbacks that arise from the biased and unsuccessful system surrounding standardized testing.
Although standardized testing has some positive impact on the educational system in the United States, the negative influence on the students and the overall unsuccessful nature of the tests outweigh the minor gains achieved. There is wide variety of problems that arise from standardized testing, one of the biggest being the lack of improvement of students due to the hindrances of standardized testing. After No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed in 2002, the US slipped from 18th in the world in math on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science and no change in reading (See Appendix 1) (Shanghai). A May 26, 2011, National Research Council report found no evidence test-based incentive programs are working: "Despite using them for several decades, policymakers and educators do not yet know how to use test-based incentives to consistently generate positive effects on achievement and to improve education."
Standardized tests are also unfair and discriminatory against non-English speakers and students with special needs. Foreign students whose first language is not English are forced to taking these tests even though they have not fully mastered the language. Children receiving special education for their special needs also take the same tests as normal students. These children unfortunately receive few of the accommodations that should be provided to them through their Individualized Education Plans (IEP) (McKinght).
Standardized tests measure only a small portion of what makes education meaningful. According to late education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, qualities that standardized tests cannot measure include "creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity." (Strauss). Also, an obsession with testing robs children of their childhoods. NCLB's mandate begins in third grade, but schools test younger students so they will get used to taking tests. A March 2009 research from the Alliance for Childhood showed "time for play in most public kindergartens has dwindled to the vanishing point, replaced by lengthy lessons and standardized testing." (Miller). A three-year study completed in Oct. 2010 by the Gesell Institute of Human Development showed that increased emphasis on testing is making "children feel like failures now as early as PreK..." Excessive testing may teach children to be good at taking tests, but does not prepare them for productive adult lives.
"Teaching to the test" is replacing good teaching practices with "drill n' kill" rote learning. A five-year University of Maryland study completed in 2007 found "the pressure teachers were feeling to 'teach to the test'" since NCLB was leading to "declines in teaching higher-order thinking, in the amount of time spent on complex assignments, and in the actual amount of high cognitive content in the curriculum." (Jacobs).
Testing is expensive and costs have increased since NCLB, placing a burden on state education budgets. According to the Texas Education Agency, the state spent $9 million in 2003 to test students, while the cost to Texas taxpayers from 2009 through 2012 is projected to be around $88 million per year. (Martinez). The billion dollar testing industry is notorious for making costly and time-consuming scoring errors. NCS Pearson, which has a $254 million contract to administer Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test, delivered the 2010 results more than a month late and their accuracy was challenged by over half the state's superintendents (Strauss). After errors and distribution problems in 2004-2005, Hawaii replaced test publisher Harcourt with American Institutes for Research, but the latter had to re-grade 98,000 tests after students received scores for submitting blank test booklets (“Errors…”).
The multiple-choice format used on standardized tests is an inadequate assessment tool. It encourages a simplistic way of thinking in which there are only right and wrong answers, which doesn't apply in real-world situations. The format is also biased toward male students, who studies have shown adapt more easily to the game-like point scoring of multiple-choice questions. America is facing a "creativity crisis," as standardized testing and rote learning "dumb down" curricula and jeopardize the country's economic future. A 2010 College of William & Mary study found Americans' scores on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking have been dropping since 1990, and researcher Kyung-Hee Kim lays part of the blame on the increase in standardized testing: "If we neglect creative students in school because of the structure and the testing movement... then they become underachievers." (Zagursky).
Although the standardized testing system is extremely flawed, it has been established as a pivotal part of the American school system. The negative aspects that are imposed upon students by standardized testing outshine any degree of gains that could be achieved through this system of testing. With this in mind, one must remember that standardized testing is incredibly hard to extract from our educational system. Instead, one must prepare themselves to deal with the negative effects that standardized testing might place on them. Standardized testing overall presents flaws to the education system in America. Ideally, standardized testing should be disbanded and not made a requirement due to its inability to assess students’ cognitive and creative skills. How can we hope to produce creative thinkers and enlightened individuals if we judge them based on a test created for the masses?
Works Cited
Barth, Patte, and Ruth Mitchell. "Standardized Tests and Their Impact on Schooling: Q&A." Center for Public Education. Center for Public Education, 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"George W. Bush: Moments That Defined His Presidency." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 05 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Matthews, Jay. "Just Whose Idea Was All This Testing?" The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Phelps, Richard P. Defending Standardized Testing. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2005. Print.
Popham, W. James. "Standardized Testing Fails the Exam." Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, 23 Mar. 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
"Standardized Tests." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 3 July 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Nichols, Sharon Lynn., and David C. Berliner. Collateral Damage: How High-Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education, 2007. Print.
Zimmerman, Barry J., and Dale H. Schunk. Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2003. Print.
"Shanghai Tops International Test Scores." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
McKnight, Katherine. "Opting Out of NCLB Testing." Katherine McKnight Blog. N.p., 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Strauss, Valerie. "The Myths of Standardized Testing." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Miller, Edward, and Joan Almon. Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood, 2009. Print.
Jacobs, Bruce. "No Child Left Behind's Emphasis on 'Teaching to the Test' Undermines Quality Teaching,” Endeavors, Dec. 2007. Print.
Martinez, Marcy. "TAKS Test Taking a Bite Out of Budget?" Valley Central. N.p., 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
"Errors Grow with Mounting Test Pressures." Fair Test. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Zagursky, Erin. "Smart? Yes. Creative? Not so Much." William & Mary. The College of William and Mary, 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
Also, in the original I included an appendix so if you would like to see it all together, this is the link to the essay in Google docs: https://docs.google.com/a/g.clemson.edu/document/d/1zAROWtgxi10Ry2zH_Sq9La_FlbgmH_wZVYlIZmAYQI8/edit?usp=sharing