Overview

How do you know if a school is doing a good job? You can’t just ask the principal (he’ll say yes). You need data. Standardized Tests (SAT, ACT, State Tests) are the ruler we use to measure education. But many argue the ruler is broken.

Core Idea

The core idea is Comparability. If every student in the country takes the exact same test, we can compare Student A in New York to Student B in Texas.

Formal Definition

A test administered and scored in a consistent, or “standard,” manner.

Intuition

  • The Thermometer: You need a standard thermometer to check if a patient has a fever. You can’t just feel their forehead.
  • The Factory: Quality Control. Checking every widget to make sure it meets the standard.

Examples

  • No Child Left Behind (2001): A law that mandated testing in every state. If schools failed, they lost funding.
  • SAT: The gatekeeper to college. It predicts how well you will do in your freshman year.

Common Misconceptions

  • They measure intelligence: They measure test-taking ability and preparation. Rich kids who take expensive prep courses score higher.
  • Multiple Choice only: Standardized tests can include essays, but they are harder to grade consistently.
  • Teaching to the Test: When teachers stop teaching art and music to focus only on what is on the test.
  • High-Stakes Testing: When the results determine if a student graduates or a teacher gets fired.

Applications

  • Accountability: It exposes bad schools. Before testing, we didn’t know how far behind some minority students were.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Campbell’s Law: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures.” (Cheating scandals).
  • Stress: It makes kids hate school.

Further Reading

  • Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System.
  • Koretz, Daniel. Measuring Up.