How standardized tests impact teaching and learning
Standardized testing in the US is the outgrowth of the No Child Left Behind Act and has had an impact on teaching that is contrary to good teaching. In an effort to improve American education, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law by President Bush in 2002. This act was meant to improve the already existing law of 1965 or the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The NCLB act is extensive and one of the requirements of the act is standardized testing. But each state devises its own standardized testing. Standardized testing does not mean that every school in every state gives the same test to their students. Each state has to present a plan for education within their state that incorporates all the elements of NCLB, including standardized testing. So each state's plan may be totally different with different criteria and objectives, although meeting the mandates of NCLB. it is rather a complicated process.
The main objective of the act with regard to standardized testing is that there is continuous and recognizable improvement in test scores and that students are meeting the federal criteria for their state.
The main objective for states to improve their school systems is funding. If schools can't show an improvement in testing scores, the school may get less funding or no funding.
Standardized testing is not new to education, but with the NCLB act, states and schools are scrambling for funding and therefore making stringent requirements for both students and teachers.
Standardized tests such as the SAT tests, IQ tests, and various types of aptitude tests have been around for a long time. Teachers have routinely made up their own standardized testing. Teachers like testing their students to see how well the students have measured up to what they are teaching and how students measure up to each other.
However, with too much emphasis on standardized testing and not understanding that special needs children need their own kind of standardized tests, the system is becoming skewed. Also, cultural and language differences may require standardized tests for the specific culture rather than standardized tests for the entire school population.
Teachers rather than teaching are preparing students for their standardized tests. Instead of creating a class that is vibrant in learning teachers are giving practice tests at intervals, and having students practice test-taking skills. The focus rather than being on teaching and learning is on taking and passing tests to meet the criteria set forth by NCLB.
For many teachers this is taking the joy out of teaching and they are becoming discouraged with their ability to teach. Students are also becoming discouraged where in some states the exceptional or special needs child is made to take the same standardized tests as all students. This causes a deficit in the scores because most exceptional children will not do well in these tests next to the average student. The student will feel discouraged, realizing he can never do well in relation to the average student. Also many average students will be discouraged at not doing as well as the students who make higher scores. Students will begin to feel like they are just studying and learning for tests and for no other reason.
Standardized testing just means that all students are given the same tests so that ranks, the median, mean, and mode can be determined. States can devise this criteria in many different ways. However, the plan for each state must be approved and then students and teachers must fulfil the dictates of the state plan in order for schools to receive adequate funding.
Looking at a Pennsylvania language arts textbook that is written specifically for standardized testing and what each student should know when completing their education, one can easily see that standardized testing and criteria, may just be too much for the average high school student, and students will be pushed to the limit of educational excellence and this will fail, because the values for education have to also be there and these values are dictated by family background and parents. Not all families value education.
The textbook is entitled, Elements of Literature, Essentials of British and World Literature. It is a Pennsylvania edition and published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston in 2007. There are 1512 pages.
In the first few pages it spells out the Pennsylvania's academic standards for
* reading
* writing
* speaking
* listening
Then it lists titles with from three to eight distinct requirements under each title. The titles are
1, Learning to read independently
2. Reading critically in all content areas
3. Reading, analyzing and interpreting literature
4. Types of writing
Then it discusses how Pennsylvania students are required to take the Pennsylvania System of the School Assessment (PSSA), which would be the standardized test for the state of Pennsylvania.
The average student would be overwhelmed by the size of the book. If the student has any sort of difficulty in learning or is just not interested due to their background value system, the book will just be another message to the student to give up.
The standardized testing procedure is geared mainly to the college-bound student, and since over half of most children will not enter college, the book and the standard criteria procedure and testing will not help with the student's education. This type of education is not preparing students for the real world.
Basically rather than a NCLB approach with standardized testing and procedures, there should be a whole new system devised that educates all students for life and the real world. Students need to learn about the system - how laws work; all about different types of jobs; how to buy, sell, and make and save money; how the political system works, how to be a good citizen; and how to live and work and improve their communities.
Due to differing background value systems, in order to improve education, educators, legislators, students, teachers, and parents should get together and come to a consensus about real education. Once students get past their background value systems and start getting a real education they will begin to want a better education for their children; and their value system will begin to be geared more to the academic education requiring further education at the college level. Only then will parents begin to instill these values in their families, and only then can education improve. It won't improve with standardized testing.
Standardized testing only shows what is lacking in student's achievements, but it won't help these same students to do better in their studies, or create enlightenment in their education. With standardized testing, teachers will continue to be negatively impacted, causing lower moral in the teaching environment, which will also negatively impact the learning of students.
References:
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb
http://www.essortment.com/all/standardizedtes_riyw.h tm