Standardized tests are tests that are given en masse to collect data on skill level, ability, and knowledge. Discover the pros and cons of standardized testing in elementary and secondary schools.
Updated: 03/16/2022
Standardized Testing Pro's & Con's
Standardized Test Definition
Anything that is standardized has been created such that anyone will be subject to the same level of expectation. A standardized test, or high stakes test, therefore, is one that a complete cohort of students takes in order to be compared to other groups taking the same assessment. For example, in a public school setting all third-graders will take a standardized reading test created by the State Department of Education, in order to assure that all third-graders across the State are promoted into fourth grade with the same reading level. In this example, a standardized test for reading will assure that textbooks selected for grade four will be appropriate for entering students. Furthermore, the vocabulary used by the teacher will be understood by the students.
Standardized has another meaning beyond being the same for all stakeholders. A standardized test is designed based on the curriculum standards of the particular school district and state standards. In the latter part of the 20th century, all funded schools became accountable to adopt curriculum standards to guide teachers in the classroom in addressing the exact benchmarks of each subject area. For instance, students in a biology class will study ecology, ecosystems, and genetics. Teacher resources will further break down those main topics into benchmarks or sub-topics. Ecosystem chapters will cover predator-prey relationships, environmental protection, symbiosis, and so on. These benchmarks become the grading standards on report cards, guaranteeing that any student can transfer to another school district within the state and be on par with their classmates.
Standardized tests are often administered in a large-group setting, like a computer lab, auditorium, or a testing center. Strict rules exist during exam administration, in order to preserve test validity. No mobile devices are allowed into the testing center, and there exists an approved calculator list. Tests are packaged up and sent off-site for computer scoring. Some standardized tests are taken online and can provide results immediately to test takers.
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The purpose of standardized testing in public schools began primarily to assure grade-level parity but has declined into competition for funding and school rating to attract families. The most popular of these are aptitude, intelligence, and achievement tests.
The most common of standardized tests in education are international aptitude tests, to assess literacy skills and gain college admission. Another type of standardized test, given in elementary school, is the IQ or Intelligence Quotient test, used primarily to group students outside the general bell curve, such as gifted or special needs. IQ tests are also used in adult populations, for example in sorting military leadership positions. Achievement tests tend to be more state-driven and comparative locally, given for instance to all sixth-graders in California to measure science achievement.
Standardized Test Examples
An assessment is an examination at one point in time. Thus, standardized tests provide one way to offer a standardized assessment. The most popular of high-stakes standardized tests is the College Board SAT or Scholastic Aptitude Test, because it determines what college a student may qualify to attend. Most state colleges have a strict cut-off of 500 average (out of 800 points) on the math and English sections. Engineering colleges have higher standards of 700 on the math portion. Scoring algorithms change through the years, so students are advised to create a College Board account and keep up to date on test-taking strategies. Some years and some tests allow for guessing, whereas at other times there exists a penalty for wrong answers.
Princeton University runs the College Board testing service and provides extensive online practice. In order to practice for the SAT, students begin by taking the PSAT in ninth and tenth grades, statistical analysis shows that scores improve with experience. Getting familiar with the answer bubbles or the online buttons can boost timing, enabling students to finish the test. The SAT is given both locally and internationally, in approved testing sites.
Here is a sample question and answer from a recent SAT, showing how a standardized assessment or test is normally formatted and its depth of knowledge.
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Another example of an international standardized test is the TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language. Considered the most accurate measure of English-language literacy, the TOEFL is required for international college applicants to United States universities. Similar to all standardized tests in terms of test security and timing, the TOEFL also has cut-off scores for attendance at different universities. Again, specific requirements are located on university websites. The TOEFL test includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Many overseas schools offer TOEFL preparation classes for international students.
Other high-stakes standardized test examples include those that dominate graduate university admissions, such as the GMAT or Graduate Management Admission Test which is used for application to business school, the MCAT or Medical College Admission Test which is taken after pre-med requisites are completed, and the GRE or Graduate Record Exam that is taken to enter a master level program at university.
What Are Standardized Tests?
Standardized tests are often referred to as assessments. An assessment is generally defined as the collection and analysis of information about one or more students. When tests are standardized, this means that a particular group of students will take the same test that will be scored and analyzed the same way. The Score result for each student is then compared to the rest of the group to see how well the students performed.
The federal law known as No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, was created so that schools were held accountable for what students learned throughout the school year. States were required to set goals and objectives for students starting in grade three and, at the end of the year, assess whether students met the required goals and objectives. These standardized, or high stakes, tests not only provide schools, districts, and states with information about student achievement (or lack of), the tests can also determine whether or not students are promoted to the next grade level. Additionally, teachers and/or schools with high numbers of students who do not perform well on the end-of-year tests could face negative consequences as a result.
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The History of Standardized Testing
There have been a variety of standardized tests given in the US, for immigrant naturalization, military fitness, and literacy in school children. Immigrants are tested orally on civics and government as one of the last steps in obtaining US citizenship. Here is a sample question.
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
The Bill of Rights
In 1917, the US was faced with a big challenge: How to screen thousands of military recruits for leadership positions in WWI. The Committee on the Psychological Examination of Recruits developed Army Alpha and Beta Tests to screen applicants. The Alpha test was a written IQ test, like we are familiar with today; and the Beta was pictorial for those who did not speak English. After the war, IQ tests remained in place to screen immigrants and US school children alike.
The history of school-age standardized testing goes back to its roots in Prussia, as the first teacher training center and centralized testing were devised to monitor educational output. In Boston, Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe introduced standardized tests to check teaching quality and adjudicate school results. The practice spread quickly across the States, and has been increasing since, although concerns have been voiced amongst state legislatures.
A series of presidential initiatives have pushed the testing agenda forward. The standardized testing frenzy began in earnest in the US in 1965 with President Johnson passing an ESEA or Elementary and Secondary Education Act, then it flourished in 1983 with President Reagan releasing his report A Nation at Risk, and continued when President Clinton passed his IASA or Improving American Schools Act. In 2002 President GW Bush passed his NCLB or No Child Left Behind bill which dedicated extra funds to low-achieving students, while at the same time restricting gifted programs. The bill mandated standardized testing across the US, in order to hold school districts, schools, and teachers accountable for what students learned. Following its implementation, the US world standing in math plummeted from 18th to 40th within fifteen years. Teachers found they were no longer practicing authentic learning but quick-paced rote memorization that often, counter to the goal of NCLB, left more kids behind.
The fixation with obtaining one number for school comparison and thus funding, took a pause in 2010 when President Obama revised the NCLB policy, in favor of focus on curriculum standards, graduation rates, and learning environment. His program was called Race to the Top. On March 28, 2011, President Obama stated: Too often what we have been doing is using these tests to punish students or to, in some cases, punish schools.
Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing
Civil rights organizations lean on objective data in order to assure funding for marginalized groups such as low-income, race, or special needs. Without hard data, it would be challenging to engage the legal system and garner support. School administrators support standardized testing in order to publicize they are an A+ school, which attracts more families and state funding. Many also think it holds teachers accountable, determines student potential, and guarantees equity. College admissions officers often support standardized testing in high schools, in order to predict college success and dole out precious scholarship money to reward high test performance.
Problems with Standardized Testing
However, opponents continue to be vocal about why standardized testing is unfair and antiquated. School data analysts point to countries like Finland, which continues to perform at the top of world charts and yet administer minimal standardized tests to school children. Teachers and curriculum coordinators point out that a blanket standard can never account for variables such as learning style, test anxiety, or unequal opportunity with regard to school systems. They state that test emphasis inspires grade inflation, with some teachers and districts even stooping to erase wrong answers and substitute correct ones, under the pressure to perform, as reported by USA Today and Washington Post in 2013.
Other opponents point to the test format itself as an indicator only of which students are good test-takers. Stanford University studies show that girls excel on essay portions, but not multiple-choice. Also, each State creates its own literacy tests, making national comparisons no better than apples to oranges. And according to PISA, the Program for International Student Assessment, American low-ranking scores in math, reading, and science are correlated with the rise in standardized testing practice.
Furthermore, socioeconomic status gives students varying opportunities to tutoring, multiple testing chances, and a better understanding of culturally-biased questions.
Lesson Summary
A standardized test is given to large groups of people in order to compare and sort them easily. It represents a one size fits all approach to adjudicate college entry, military fitness, IQ, or school literacy levels. In public schools, the purpose is to measure what a student understands in a subject area like math, for example. They differ from teacher-made classroom tests in that standardized tests are not specific to a particular classroom lesson or activity, but instead attempt to measure student gains across many classrooms or districts.
The main types of high-stakes standardized test are:
- Aptitude tests, such as basic literacy for college success;
- Intelligence tests, such as military IQ to separate out potential leaders;
- Achievement tests, as in comparing English-language scores across school districts to determine funding.
Bills like No Child Left Behind have been passed to attempt to hold districts, school, and teachers accountable for what students learn. However, the standardized testing controversy rages on, with proponents defending educational equity and opponents citing plummeting US standing in world comparisons of math, reading, and science scores as teachers are pressured to teach to the test.
Supporters
Standardized tests differ from teacher-made tests because they are not specific to any lesson or activity from the classroom. Instead, standardized tests provide more of a general overview of what students should know at a particular grade level. Those in favor of standardized tests argue that such testing holds teachers more accountable for what students should know and, when used with other assessments, should give a pretty accurate picture of student achievement. Since these types of tests are created by people who are not a part of the classroom setting, the results are considered more reliable in measuring student performance.
Opponents
Arguments made against standardized tests usually center around the enormous amount of weight placed on these tests. Many teachers become fearful of poor test results and spend more time teaching to the tests rather than focusing on quality lessons and grade-level curriculum. Furthermore, tests may contain biases that prevent certain groups of students from doing well due to differences in learning style, cultural diversity, language barriers, and low socioeconomic status.
Types of Tests
There are many types of assessments used in school systems in the United States. Let's take a look at a few of the most commonly used standardized tests.
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests measure what a student understands about a particular subject area. For example, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measures student knowledge in the areas of reading, math, and essay. Scores on the SAT are used by colleges to make admission decisions. These typically show students' abilities to be successful in higher education settings.
Intelligence Tests
Typical intelligence tests are used to determine a student's mental ability. These tests can indicate whether a student's scores are high enough for the student to be placed in a gifted and talented program or low enough to be referred for special education. These types of tests are generally administered by a psychologist or anyone else trained to give the test and interpret the results.
Achievement Tests
An achievement test assesses what students should have learned throughout the school year based on their grade level. These types of tests are growing more popular not only for measuring student performance but also teacher effectiveness. Achievement tests are most often given in the areas of reading, math, and science. Students are measured by whether they performed above grade level, grade level, below grade level, and well-below grade level.
Testing Limitations
While results from standardized tests can be used to evaluate student performance, address teacher accountability, and inform districts about strengths and weaknesses in schools, several factors may need to be taken into consideration when it comes to testing. Some students are simply not good test-takers, so results may not accurately reflect those students' abilities. Likewise, many schools lack the necessary resources to meet students' needs, which will likely impact students' abilities as test-takers.
Other factors that have been addressed in NCLB and should be taken into consideration are:
- Does the school or district curriculum cover the objectives of the test? In other words, are students being taught the necessary information to perform well on the test?
- Do students have language barriers that keep them from performing well in the classroom? If so, it is highly probable that these students may not perform well on standardized tests.
- Do the students with disabilities have difficulties when it comes to test-taking? This may result in lower scores when compared to their non-disabled peers.
- Is the school or district in a high-poverty area? Students in low income areas have been shown to perform lower on standardized tests than students in more affluent areas.
While standardized tests can provide important information about your students, it is probably a good idea not to place too much weight on one test to determine what a student can or cannot do academically.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Standardized tests can provide districts and teachers with insight into a student's progress and identify areas for improvement, as well help schools and districts decide where they need to focus more attention. These tests can evaluate subject area knowledge or reflect whether a child has mastered the necessary grade-level skills by the end of the school year. While standardized tests are important when it comes to measuring student achievement, these tests should not be the only information used to determine student ability.
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Video Transcript
What Are Standardized Tests?
Standardized tests are often referred to as assessments. An assessment is generally defined as the collection and analysis of information about one or more students. When tests are standardized, this means that a particular group of students will take the same test that will be scored and analyzed the same way. The Score result for each student is then compared to the rest of the group to see how well the students performed.
The federal law known as No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, was created so that schools were held accountable for what students learned throughout the school year. States were required to set goals and objectives for students starting in grade three and, at the end of the year, assess whether students met the required goals and objectives. These standardized, or high stakes, tests not only provide schools, districts, and states with information about student achievement (or lack of), the tests can also determine whether or not students are promoted to the next grade level. Additionally, teachers and/or schools with high numbers of students who do not perform well on the end-of-year tests could face negative consequences as a result.
Supporters
Standardized tests differ from teacher-made tests because they are not specific to any lesson or activity from the classroom. Instead, standardized tests provide more of a general overview of what students should know at a particular grade level. Those in favor of standardized tests argue that such testing holds teachers more accountable for what students should know and, when used with other assessments, should give a pretty accurate picture of student achievement. Since these types of tests are created by people who are not a part of the classroom setting, the results are considered more reliable in measuring student performance.
Opponents
Arguments made against standardized tests usually center around the enormous amount of weight placed on these tests. Many teachers become fearful of poor test results and spend more time teaching to the tests rather than focusing on quality lessons and grade-level curriculum. Furthermore, tests may contain biases that prevent certain groups of students from doing well due to differences in learning style, cultural diversity, language barriers, and low socioeconomic status.
Types of Tests
There are many types of assessments used in school systems in the United States. Let's take a look at a few of the most commonly used standardized tests.
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests measure what a student understands about a particular subject area. For example, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measures student knowledge in the areas of reading, math, and essay. Scores on the SAT are used by colleges to make admission decisions. These typically show students' abilities to be successful in higher education settings.
Intelligence Tests
Typical intelligence tests are used to determine a student's mental ability. These tests can indicate whether a student's scores are high enough for the student to be placed in a gifted and talented program or low enough to be referred for special education. These types of tests are generally administered by a psychologist or anyone else trained to give the test and interpret the results.
Achievement Tests
An achievement test assesses what students should have learned throughout the school year based on their grade level. These types of tests are growing more popular not only for measuring student performance but also teacher effectiveness. Achievement tests are most often given in the areas of reading, math, and science. Students are measured by whether they performed above grade level, grade level, below grade level, and well-below grade level.
Testing Limitations
While results from standardized tests can be used to evaluate student performance, address teacher accountability, and inform districts about strengths and weaknesses in schools, several factors may need to be taken into consideration when it comes to testing. Some students are simply not good test-takers, so results may not accurately reflect those students' abilities. Likewise, many schools lack the necessary resources to meet students' needs, which will likely impact students' abilities as test-takers.
Other factors that have been addressed in NCLB and should be taken into consideration are:
- Does the school or district curriculum cover the objectives of the test? In other words, are students being taught the necessary information to perform well on the test?
- Do students have language barriers that keep them from performing well in the classroom? If so, it is highly probable that these students may not perform well on standardized tests.
- Do the students with disabilities have difficulties when it comes to test-taking? This may result in lower scores when compared to their non-disabled peers.
- Is the school or district in a high-poverty area? Students in low income areas have been shown to perform lower on standardized tests than students in more affluent areas.
While standardized tests can provide important information about your students, it is probably a good idea not to place too much weight on one test to determine what a student can or cannot do academically.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Standardized tests can provide districts and teachers with insight into a student's progress and identify areas for improvement, as well help schools and districts decide where they need to focus more attention. These tests can evaluate subject area knowledge or reflect whether a child has mastered the necessary grade-level skills by the end of the school year. While standardized tests are important when it comes to measuring student achievement, these tests should not be the only information used to determine student ability.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of a standardized test?
The most common standardized tests are those given to school children in the US and internationally, every year. High school students take the SAT worldwide as one component to help determine entrance to university.
What is the purpose of a standardized test?
A standardized test is given for quality control, be that immigrant knowledge, military IQ, or school literacy, in order to assure all passing grades reflect common minimum standards.
What is the meaning of standardized test?
A standardized test is one set exam given to large groups of people, often created to assess quality and accountability of organizations.
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