STANDARDIZED TESTING Standardized testing

Standardized testing

Introduction

Standardized testing has been an integral part of the American education system since the mid-19th century. Current examples of Standardized testing include the Stanford Achievement Test, which is used to assess students; the ACT college entrance examination; and the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which is used to license physicians. These tests are characterized by the uniformity of the content, administration conditions, and scoring. Though this form, of assessment has been subject to changes, one aspect of educational standardized testing that has remained constant throughout the course of its history is its ability to remain at the center of controversy and debate. The role, effectiveness, and intent of standardized testing have always been questioned—whether an instrument attempts to assess student competency or potential or to measure the effectiveness of instruction and administration, especially when connected to a reform effort (Phelps, 2005).

Discussion

In education, the goal of standardized testing is to provide accurate information about students in order to make well-informed decisions. Results from tests have served multiple purposes, such as guiding instruction, meeting accountability demands, promoting equity, and increasing efficiency. Interwoven with these purposes is the use of standardized tests as instruments of reform. A major purpose of testing in education is the improvement of student knowledge and achievement. To achieve this purpose, states usually develop standardized tests to measure student achievement of subject-area learning goals. It shrinks the curriculum. States develop curriculum standards to serve as frameworks to guide teachers in planning classroom instruction. These standards then guide the design of the state tests. In turn, the state tests provide information about student achievement of the curriculum standards and the need for instructional reform (Phelps, 2005)..

Designing a standardized test is a demanding, systematic process. A well-designed standardized test attempts to capture the differences in examinees' abilities, in a subject area (e.g. social studies) that is tested while minimizing errors in scores. Procedures followed in test development contribute to the quality of test scores and the minimization of error. Test quality is supported by involvement of subject-area experts (e.g., teachers and university faculty) and other stakeholder in the test development. The work is guided by experts in test design. Subject-matter experts write test items to measure student achievement in an area, such as reading, mathematics, or science. The items in standardized tests take different forms, including multiple-choice items, short-answer items, essay prompts, and performance tasks. ...