Has Standardized Testing Gone Too Far?

The history of standardized testing in America

After our country succeeded in creating a national system of public schools, educational policymakers wanted to have more direct governance over what happened INSIDE their newly-created schools. They wanted some sort of mechanism for tracking school progress and setting educational goals. The first standardized tests included short essays in the mix of questions. However, it did not take long to realize that it was far easier to measure success on a simple multiple-choice question than it was to analyze the student’s ability to think critically about the topic.  

We have been using standardized testing in education, in varying degrees and methods, for over 100 years now. However, up until the year 2000, states administered their own tests and so there was a lot of variance in the types of tests used, the subjects assessed, and the frequency of testing. But that changed with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 which further entrenched standardized testing in American education policy by mandating annual testing in reading and math for students in grades 3 through 8, with consequences for schools that failed to meet performance benchmarks. One of the major goals of NCLB was for states to bring 100% of students to a level of proficiency in reading and math within twelve years of the law’s passage. The theory was that educators would work harder to produce the results expected of them. But after a decade of NCLB, the law only produced minor gains in student achievement, some of which have been attributed to “teaching to the test.”

In 2015, Barack Obama signed the Every School Succeeds Act (ESSA) which replaced NCLB. Though ESSA allows more flexibility with testing, it still requires states to test students in math and English in grades 3-8 and once in high school.

How many standardized tests do kids take?

The number of standardized tests students take on average can vary widely depending on factors such as grade level, state or district policies, and individual school practices. By the time they finish high school, the average student in America has sat through roughly 10 standardized tests per year for at least seven years. Researchers found that students take as many as 20 standardized assessments per year and an average of 10 tests in grades 3-8.

A report published by the Council of the Great City Schools found that students in large urban districts take an average of 112 standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and grade 12. These 112 tests do not include school-developed or teacher-developed tests. According to the same report, students in grades 3 through 8 typically spend between 20 to 25 hours per school year on standardized testing, including time spent preparing for and taking the tests.

Standardized Testing Pros and Cons

The Benefits of Standardized Testing

• Proponents argue that standardized testing provides valuable data to assess student learning, identify areas for improvement, and hold schools accountable for their performance. 
• Advocates also contend that standardized tests offer an objective measure of academic achievement, helping to ensure equity in education by holding all students to the same standards.
• Standardized tests offer a concrete, objective and quick way to evaluate schools and student performance. To truly know a school would take weeks of careful observation but a simple number can be quickly understood by everyone. 

The Drawbacks of Standardized Testing:

• One major criticism is that standardized tests promote a narrow and “teach-to-the-test” approach to education, stifling creativity and critical thinking. In his 2017 book, “Beyond Test Scores: A better way to measure school quality,” Jack Schneider also points out that because schools are held accountable for a narrow set of scores- generally on math and reading tests- “school leaders have responded rationally: by narrowing the curriculum. Arts, history, science, health, and other aspects of a diverse curriculum have been cut back dramatically. Emphasis on test-aligned math and English instruction has been ratcheted up.”
• Test anxiety affects many students due to the pressure to perform. The intense focus on test scores can have adverse effects on mental health and lead to  increased anxiety levels, over-consumption of caffeine, smoking, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and poor sleep quality.
• Tests cannot fully capture the complexity and depth of student learning, as they are often limited to multiple-choice questions or other standardized formats that focus on recall and basic skills rather than higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities. 
• Standardized tests may be culturally biased or linguistically inaccessible to certain groups of students, particularly English language learners and students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. For example, a test maker may assume that all students will be familiar with objects such as a hamper or saucer which many not be language encountered by students from all socioeconomic or racial backgrounds. 

Do test scores tell us what we want to know?

Research has shown again and again that test scores tell us more about a student’s home life than it does about schools. The top two predictors of student achievement on standardized tests are parental education and family income. 

Jack Schneider points out the fact that not all school subjects are conducive to standardized testing. Obviously art and music cannot be measured with a multiple-choice test. But also, “it is foolish to test a student’s ability to think like a historian by asking multiple-choice questions. Historians, after all, don’t’ sit around reciting facts; instead, they try to solve puzzles by weaving together fragments of evidence.” (p.23) But even if we could possess student test score data for all subjects, is that all that we care about in our school environment? Here’s a quick list of things that cannot be measured with a test but you may consider just as important as the content knowledge:

• How happy are the students?
• Do the students feel challenged
• How safe do students feel in the school?
• Are the students cared for by the adults in the school? Do they feel supported?
• How healthy are the students- emotionally, physically, socially?
• How many students can….play an instrument, carry out an experiment, write a computer program, etc. 

This study shows that when schools improve test scores, it does reflect an increase in content knowledge but these higher test scores do not improve cognitive growth (which is measured through avenues such as working memory, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence refers to the ability to solve novel problems independent of acquired knowledge. Essentially, this study shows that the students’ test score improvement simply shows that they acquired more knowledge, not that the learning is transferable to other areas of life and learning. 

Test Manufacturers as Big Business

Have you ever stopped to think about the large multi-BILLION dollar companies that produce all these tests? Pearson is one of those corporations whose net worth currently stands at $8.9 billion. From 2004-2014, Pearson spent roughly $7 million lobbying at the federal level. 

Alternatives to Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is likely not going to be eliminated, and nor should it be entirely. The information in this article demonstrates that standardized testing has both pros and cons therefore there is a need for some of the data that we receive from these tests. However, the intense focus on standardized tests that we see today in the United States has gone too far and it’s time for our school systems to begin employing alternative methods of evaluation while scaling back the amount of testing that is taking place. 

So what might some of these “alternative methods” be?

Critics advocate for alternative approaches to assessment that focus on holistic learning and student growth. One alternative is performance-based assessment, which evaluates students’ knowledge and skills through real-world tasks, projects, and portfolios. This method emphasizes application and demonstration of learning rather than rote memorization.

Another alternative is formative assessment, which involves ongoing feedback and assessment throughout the learning process to inform instruction and support student progress. Formative assessment techniques such as quizzes, projects, peer evaluation, and classroom discussions which provide a more comprehensive picture of student learning and growth.

Additionally, some educators advocate for de-emphasizing standardized testing in favor of a more comprehensive evaluation of school quality, taking into account factors such as student engagement, teacher effectiveness, and school culture, diversity, and college readiness.

If you’re interested in reading about some schools they do not use grades, here are some additional resources for you to explore:

What is Mastery Based Learning?

Assessment at Duke School

Assessment at Carolina Friends School

Durham Academy’s move to Competency Based Learning in Middle School