Edu 244 - Assessing Learning and Standardized Testing

Ricky Howard

EDU 244

April 23, 2011

Assessing Learning and Standardized Testing

School systems across the nation have focused their attention and funding on standardized testing. Standardized testing is viewed as an important measuring tool of student knowledge. The test also is seen as public policy to ensure accountability measures for public education. Teachers are required to instruct students based on standards and objectives set forth by the state. Students have to learn material that is shaped and constructed for the end of grade test. Many Teachers each year find themselves and their students working below testing standards. Students have commonly found themselves excelling in the classroom and unsuccessfully obtaining a passing score on standardized tests. This commonly fails to correlate with the ability of educators to instruct their students to best of their ability. Teachers find themselves teaching from objectives and requirements rather than addressing the overall need of students. Standardized testing may not accurately assess the learning of students.

Standardized testing in schools targets the academic need of students by assessing student learning and performance on subject exams. Students throughout the school year learn material and strategies that will help them succeed at passing a standardized test. Standardized testing is different from ordinary classroom tests. "Teacher made tests often show whether each student has learned specific concepts and skills. These tests commonly affect a student's grade in the class. Standardized tests are not used to determine grades. They are often used to show how well all the students who take the test are learning. The scores are often used for research purposes. Administrators look at the scores to help them decide if a school is performing well and meeting its goals (Dolezalek)." Test scores also measure the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of the school. Students have a right to transfer to another school if their school fails to meet AYP. Schools are also required to offer students tutoring or other academic services to their students when the school fails to meet AYP (Dolezalek).

The validity of standardized tests is not accurate based on the interpretations of scores and the language that the test consists of. Critics of standardized testing have cautioned that testing causes superficial coverage of subject matters. The emphasis placed on basic skills is seldom defined and hardly ever add to more complex learning. The test focuses on outcomes and evaluation rather than on assessing for promoting further learning (Kontovourki, Stavroula, and Campis). The greatest challenge is to turn students into real readers and deep thinkers. It is important to get students interested in the subject matter, rather than just instructing them to open their book to read. Teachers and parents should seek to instill a yearning to read and learn (From Bohemia). Many students have difficulty with the makeup of the test itself. The language of standardized exams has placed a wall between learning and test performance. Students have to learn both the language of the test and practices that were valued most during test preparation and test taking. Some of information and questions relating to standardized tests is confusing and unreliable.

"The reliability of standardized testing is determined by how well the test was written.