The end of the semester is approaching and the last chapters in most ed psych books involve testing and evaluation. One of the topics I consider concerns the practices involved in standardized assessment and the reasons such practices are employed. Part of the point of the exercise is to reveal assumptions that guide the process and what we think the results of standardized tests mean. For example, students taking standardized tests typically are given exactly the same amount of time to complete tasks and hear exactly the same instructions. These actions are taken basically so that all students have an equal opportunity to understand and complete the tasks SO that the scores generated can be compared and differences attributed to the capabilities of the student.
The discussion about expectations started me thinking about some of the behaviors and consequences I have observed with ???high stakes??? testing. Are we really recognizing what we standardize and what our assumptions are? For example, I know that many 4th grade teachers approaching the ???test??? begin to allocate class time differently and begin to emphasize different skills. Math and language arts receive more attention and sessions devoted to history receive less. Experiences in math and language arts may be best characterized as test prep rather than traditional instruction.
So, what might such differences in experiences imply when comparing performance results across schools? When experiences are different, just like when time allowed to complete the exam is different, one can no longer progress to simple conclusions. If results are a function of time spent on test taking strategies and not content knowledge, it cannot be assumed that differences in achievement across schools taking different approaches to preparation mean the same thing. If achievement in one area is sacrificed to boost achievement in another, what is represented as achievement no longer implies the same thing. What standardized tests show mean the same thing only when the preparatory experiences are standardized?
