Chapter 14: Standardized Tests and Grades Cases to Consider

Read this Case to Consider, then voice your opinion on this topic area and see where you stand compared to others.

The Great Testing Controversy
Written by Gordon E. Greenwood, University of Florida

Jerry Natkin is beginning his seventh year of teaching English. Roscoe Carnes is beginning his fourth year as an art teacher. It is early September, and the two friends sit talking in the teachers' lounge of the only high school in a medium-sized city.

Roscoe: What's on your agenda in the English department this year, Jerry? Any new plans or projects?

Jerry: Well, it may seem early to be worrying about this, but we're determined to do something about the standardized test results in this school.

Roscoe: What's the matter with them?

Jerry: The scores are still declining. We looked back over ten years of results. On the average, last year's students scored a couple of percentage points below the kids of five years ago and even farther below the scores from ten years ago. I wonder if these kids just aren't learning.

Roscoe: Did you consider that they might be learning a lot but can't show what they know on standardized achievement tests?

Jerry: Maybe. But regardless, the issue is how to get the scores up. I think that in the English department, we should at least make sure that our courses are covering the content of the state standardized test. As I see it, with some changes in course content and classroom testing procedures, we can easily increase the school's overall average score and also our number of state finalists each year.

Roscoe: But, Jerry, that sounds like teaching to the test.

Jerry: It is. What's wrong with that?

Roscoe: Is it ethical? Should tests determine curriculum? Is doing well on standardized tests the reason kids go to school? Is testing fair to all students? Those tests contain cultural and class biases, you know. Anyway, the state exam is practically all multiple choice. If you teach to the exam, you run the risk of lowering your standards-minimums do have a way of becoming maximums. What about higher-order learning like problem solving and creative thinking?

Jerry: Higher-order thinking is always part of English, Roscoe; don't worry! But I'm convinced we can include higher-order objectives and cover the test better. Also, we need to push the kids more.

Roscoe: How?

Jerry: I'd like to involve the parents. Get them to work with their kids at home, using sample test items and such. You know, kids who score higher on tests make better grades and do better in life. We've got to coach them.

Roscoe: I'd argue with you on that. How would you coach all the kids? Would it be fair to pick only some for special treatment? And what does "doing better in life" mean? Better income? Isn't there more to life than that?

Jerry: Sure, sure. Of course achievement tests aren't everything. And they aren't perfect either. But they're there, and we need them-for feedback! How else can we as teachers know what we've accomplished? We get to see kids make measurable progress.

Roscoe: But I don't think standardized tests are a good measure of students' actual abilities or meaningful knowledge. Maybe your scores tell you something about English proficiency, but I can't measure my kids' progress that way.

Jerry: I bet you could. You could measure creativity.

Roscoe: And then teach to the creativity test? Jerry, do you really think standardized test scores should be guiding your instructional goals as an English teacher?

Voice your opinion on Standardized tests