Test scores dictate a student’s capabilities. Teachers and parents must not let their teaching efforts be summed-up by a test score. Teachers and parents work hard to help students succeed academically. Therefore, students should not be stymied by a poor test score.
As schools focus on test scores, academics and learning becomes less of a factor. Score do not give help to identify why schools and students struggle. Many schools provide too much test prep. Therefore, students’ scores inflate and don’t reflect true learning.
Parents, teachers and students rely on test scores for decisions about their future. Relying on test scores narrows the curriculum and evaluation system in schools.
Teachers are responsible for classroom learning and academic growth. However, standardized tests do not dictate nor do they measure learning.
Tests Not Developmentally Appropriate
Students do not learn the same. Hence, learning must be developmentally appropriate for academic success. Therefore, standardized test can not be a measure to determine success.
A survey from 2015 of NEA (National Education Association) members in grades 3-8 and 10-12 believe their state test is not developmentally appropriate for students.
In addition, the majority of teachers did not think any state tests were developmentally appropriate. In addition, many tests shows significant differences in format.
Boys Verses Girls
One study shows the format of the test gives male students the advantage to score higher in mathematics and girls score higher in reading and language arts.
In addition, boys score higher as the test format relies on multiple-choice questions. Usually, this format is found in mathematics. However, girls out perform boys on written response questions.
Professor Sean Reardon states, “The evidence that how male and female students are tested changes the perception of their relative ability in both math and ELA suggests that we must be concerned with questions of test fairness and validity,”
States and schools must be aware of the various test formats and the focused skills. These formats influence the comparisons between and among states. States do not need to create a larger gender gap.
State tests must reflect what students learn. Teachers must continue to focus on academics and not prep test or confusing vocabulary. A concentration on student success and their future is what is important. Let’s not place a score on the student’s head.
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