Pro and Con: Standardized Tests

Introduction

• Standardized tests have been used in American education since the mid-1800s.
• Their use increased significantly after the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002, which mandated annual testing.
• U.S. students' global rankings in math, science, and reading have declined since 2000, raising concerns about the effectiveness of standardized tests.

Definition

• Standardized tests are administered, scored, and interpreted in a consistent, predetermined manner.
• Typically consist of multiple-choice questions graded by machines, with some open-ended questions requiring human grading.

High-Stakes Achievement Tests

• These tests have significant consequences:
  • Low scores can prevent grade progression, lead to teacher firings, and cause school closures.
  • High scores ensure funding and reward teachers and administrators.

Standardized Testing Industry

• Estimated to be a multi-billion-dollar industry.
• Major publishers include NCS Pearson, CTB/McGraw-Hill, Riverside Publishing, and ETS.

Arguments For Standardized Tests

• Objective Measurement: Provides data to assess and improve education.
• Support for Marginalized Groups: Offers meaningful data to aid these groups.
• Teacher Evaluation: Useful metric for evaluating teacher performance.
• Success Indicator: Scores indicate potential college and job success.

Arguments Against Standardized Tests

• Limited Measure of Progress: Tests only indicate test-taking ability, not actual learning or progress.
• Bias Concerns: Criticized as being racist, classist, and sexist.
• Unfair Teacher Evaluations: Not a fair metric for assessing teacher performance.
• Unreliable Success Predictor: Scores do not reliably predict future success.

Conclusion

• The article presents both sides of the debate surrounding standardized testing in education, highlighting its benefits and drawbacks.

Published on December 7, 2020, at ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source.