W. Patric Gregory on Charter Education FAQs

Standardized testing, through a long history of implementation and growth, has become the norm for widespread academic evaluation in most school districts. While the method as we know it today has existed since the 1800s, confusion remains, and continues to recur, surrounding its format, implementation, and effectiveness.

To help ward off misconceptions, here are answers to several of the most frequently asked questions pertaining to standardized testing.

What is the point of standardized testing?

Because many continue to question its overall effectiveness and efficiency in measuring intellectual growth, standardized testing continues to be a fairly polarizing topic in the debate around education. The reality is that standardized testing has a significant positive impact on students. Though potentially stressful to some, it ultimately “provides independent insight into each child’s progress, as well as each school’s,” thereby benefiting students, educators, administrators and parents alike. By studying trends revealed through test scores, and by comparing these findings to national averages, districts are now able to make the adaptations necessary to provide the best academic experience possible.

Does standardized testing impose a “teach to the test” mentality?
Because standardized tests stand as the main method of performance tracking, it can be tempting to assume that standardized testing fosters a “teach to the test” mindset. In fact, the reverse is true. The tests are designed to measure student growth based on academic standards that are already established and on content predetermined for the classroom, not on specialized knowledge unrelated to these standards and content. If educators are doing an adequate job of teaching the subjects contained in these standards, students will therefore absorb and master the material on which they’ll be tested. It all comes down to the in-class instruction: if it’s strong and effective, which is a reasonable expectation regardless of the method of testing, students will succeed, no matter how that success is measured.

What subjects are currently covered in standardized tests?

This question is a fair question, as the subject matter of standardized tests has changed several times since testing became a consistent method of performance measurement through No Child Left Behind in 2001. Because that initiative required that annual tests include segments rooted in math, English, science, and social studies, most tests continue to. Some states and districts, however, have initiated additional concentrations including music, art, and physical education.

Originally published on WPatricGregory.net