How Do Standardized Tests Affect My Students and My School?
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Linda Bailey Linda Bailey is the department chair at Hoffman Estates High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburban school in a middle-to-upper-middle-class community. She is past president of the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics. |
Standardized tests significantly influence the mathematics curriculum in both positive and negative ways. Three such areas of influence are accountability, value, and change.
Accountability: The community, both local and state, wants accountability. Standardized tests, especially those given by the state, are aimed at rating the schools. Our local newspaper publishes, in rank order of the mean, the results of the state testing. Because the general public does not understand confidence bands, schools are complimented or criticized on the basis of their rank. The tests do not measure how students perform on local curriculum standards within particular demographics. The published comparison is not a fair way to evaluate schools. Students receive an individual score, which is somewhat deceiving. Since our current state test does not measure high-level skills, parents sometimes read too much into the score.
Much class time is spent on reviewing and testing, and thus there is less time for the regular curriculum. As the number of asessments grow, the time for teaching decreases. Value: Since national tests such as the ACT and SAT have mathematics and logic components, there is an implied need to continue to study mathematics. The standardized tests act as impartial advisors. Students who plan to attend college continue to take challenging classes. It is possible that many would not take algebra 2 or trigonometry if itwere not for these tests. A statement such as “The test requires you to know this” is a powerful motivator.
Change: If the local curriculum does not prepare students in particular areas for standardized tests, change will happen quickly. The topics tested on the exams will become part of our curriculum. Such tests together represent a national curriculum. Such changes will be supported by the necessary staff development and be taken seriously.
I do not foresee standardized tests disappearing. They have their place; however, it is important that the testing time be minimized and that scores be used only when appropriate.
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