Standardized Testing Reflective Essay

This post answers the following prompt:

1. What standardized tests have you completed?
2. Did taking any one (or all) of these help you demonstrate evidence of learning? Which one?
3. What do you think motivated the development of standardized testing?

Throughout my education, I have taken several standardized tests. I took the PSSA in Pennsylvania through grade school, the SAT to get into college, and the GRE to prepare for graduate school. Taking the PSSA, I did not notice any evidence of learning. The tests were spaced out every few years, so it was difficult to compare the content of each test. In addition, my scores did not change much from year to year, so I did not see any direct correlation to how much I was learning in class. The SAT was a similar experience, even more so because I only took it one time. I didn't see it as evidence of learning as much as evidence of the extent of my knowledge and ability to answer questions. The GRE also did not seem to demonstrate evidence of learning. Instead, I saw it as evidence of my ability to prepare for the test and use problem-solving skills. I think that all of these tests would have been more beneficial to me if my teachers or parents had emphasized that they may demonstrate evidence of learning rather than just a qualification that I need to meet to move on in school. In the future, I will make a point to help my students find more productive meaning in standardized tests. I think that the motivation behind standardized testing was mainly striving for equality. Teachers and schools needed to be evaluated to make sure that the education system was held accountable to teach students what they need to know (Popham, 2014). In addition, many tests were made to determine students' aptitude or intelligence compared to other students their age (Fletcher, 2009). Tests like the SAT were created to determine how prepared students were for college-level courses ("History of the Tests"). All of these reasons surround one central goal: to assess students, whether it be their knowledge, intelligence, or preparedness. As we can see through the various changes in policy (No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds Act), changes in standards (Common Core), and changes in the specific standardized tests, testing procedures are far from perfect. These changes reflect the changing world as well as our desire to create an effective test to assess students.

References

Fletcher, D. (2009, December 11). Standardized Testing [Electronic version]. Time.

History of the Tests (n.d.). In College Board. Retrieved January 30, 2016, from https://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/history-of-the-tests.

Popham, W. J. (2014). Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.