Standardized reading test design and implementation

Standardized Testing

Upon reviewing the website (www.alfiekohn.com) concerning standardized testing in U.S. schools, and reading some of the articles, one must believe that standardized testing throughout the United States is extremely faulty. When one tries to create a system where every student, no matter what race, language, economic class or family situation, is expected to fit in the same mold, one quickly finds out that this cannot be done.

The article "Fighting the tests:" advises teachers to do as little as possible preparation for the tests and get back to real learning, to advise parents that non-instructional work is being done because students have to memorize items for the test and when parents complain, give them a list of their politicians to complain to.

They are also advised in this article and some others to do no more test preparation than necessary, then have the students "cram" during the last couple of weeks before the test. Statistics show that the students obtain just as good a score this way as if they had prepared for it all year. One teacher advises teachers teach the prescribed work required by standardized testing in a short period of time before getting down to the real studying in class, giving the bulk of time (80%) to actual studies that foster good attitudes toward learning.

The www.alsde.edu site gives excellent pictures of what are the determining categories that create low test scores. In school after school, the language barrier is the most crucial. Students who speak little or no English cannot make good scores on the standardized tests because of it. The second place category that seems to have a negative effect on test scores is race, with Black students showing scores slightly lower than those in poverty. Poverty seems to be the third most effective category that drags down test scores, with those schools that report scores in this category showing about 10 to 20 points above those who cannot speak English.

In a graph showing the Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition results in Reading for the State of Alabama, the males and females rank equally (52), the blacks rank at 32, the Hispanic at 36, and the whites far outstrip either of these at 58. Those with limited English proficiency scored 19-22, those with Non-Limited English Proficiency ranked 48-49, those with free lunches scored 33, those with reduced lunch scored 44, those at non-poverty scored 62, while those at Poverty scored 35-34.

In a graph showing the Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition results in Reading for the Coffee County, Alabama, Zion Chapel High School, the males ranked 35-38 and females ranked 49-51, the were not chosen as a separate category by the school (0) the Hispanics were not chosen as a separate category by the school, and the whites scored 40-41. Those with limited English proficiency did not have a separate category, those with English Proficiency ranked 41-44, those with free lunches scored 0, and those with reduced lunch scored 0; those at non-poverty scored 44-59, while those at Poverty scored 33-37

In a graph showing the Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition results in Reading for the Winston County, Alabama, Meek High School, the males rank 39 and females rank 45, There were no blacks or Hispanic and the whites rank 50. There were none with limited English proficiency; those with Non-Limited English Proficiency ranked 50, there were no free or reduced lunch scores, those at non-poverty scored 57-64, while those at Poverty scored 42-46.

In a graph showing the Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition results in Reading for the entire system in Russellville City, Alabama, the males rank 48-60 and females rank49-52, the blacks rank at 29-40, the Hispanic at 16-40, and the whites far outstrip either of these at 61-63. Those with limited English proficiency scored 11-32, those with Non-Limited English Proficiency ranked 55-58, those with free lunches scored 41, those with reduced lunch scored 54, those at non-poverty scored 65, while those in Poverty scored 37-43.

In a graph showing the Stanford Achievement Test 10th Edition results in Reading for the Alabama School of Fine Arts, males ranked 88 and females ranked 91 (52), the blacks rank at 85, the Hispanic at 0, and the whites far outstrip either of these at 91-93. Those with limited English proficiency did not score, those with Non-Limited English Proficiency ranked 89-9, those with free and reduced lunch scored 0, those at non-poverty scored 90-92, while those at Poverty scored 0.

As a teacher, the articles advise, one can approach parents and students (those below me in rank) with a series of handouts describing the teaching curriculum that one is using and how much of it is taken up with preparation for the standardized testing. Student performance on the tests seem to have everything to do with family and socioeconomic class, and so these students (male, Black and poor) must be approached and drilled in order to show good standings at the end of the testing.