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A Brief History of Standardized Testing

A Brief History of Standardized Testing. Dr. Brian Muller. What is a Standardized Test?. Standardized tests are assessments that: are intended to be used across multiple settings normalize the expected test-taking conditions Standardized tests may:

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A Brief History of Standardized Testing

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  1. A Brief History of Standardized Testing Dr. Brian Muller

  2. What is a Standardized Test? Standardized tests are assessments that: • are intended to be used across multiple settings • normalize the expected test-taking conditions Standardized tests may: • refer to norm-referenced tests, where results are compared to percentile rankings for a pool of takers • refer to criterion-referenced tests, where results are absolute scores (which may then be assigned levels based on scale break points) Modern standardized tests can be computer-adaptive; they select next-question difficulty based on responses

  3. Sound Familiar?

  4. The Origins of Standardized Testing • 1900: The College Entrance Examination Board is established to make boarding school entrance uniform; the first test was given in 1901. • 1905: Alfred Binet develops the first IQ test to identify “slow learners” based on a “mental age.” • WWI: Robert Yerkes creates the Alpha and Beta tests. The US Army administers them to 2M recruits to identify “officer material.” Carl Brigham publishes a report stating that American education is declining "and will proceed with an accelerating rate as the racial mixture becomes more and more extensive."

  5. Effects of Testing Continue to Grow • Cyril Burt fakes data on intelligence study of identical twins; used it to push inheritance of intelligence. • Burt’s “research” is used to inform the US Immigration Restriction Act (1924) which established racial quotas. • Eugenics movement advocates forced sterilization and the “elimination” of “undesirable” human traits. • The multiple-choice SAT is established in 1926; by the end of WWII, it is a ubiquitous part of college applications.

  6. A Road Paved with Good Intentions • President Johnson – former teacher of impoverished immigrant children in Texas - allocates $3B for education. • Robert Kennedy demands a “scientific system of reporting” for new educational programs so as to “be accountable” to the people they serve • 1965 Congress passes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of the “War on Poverty”

  7. The Ghost of Alice RivlinSystematic Thinking for Social Action, 1971 • “The important goals of education are both easily identified and can be measured.” • “Standardized test scores accurately reflect reading proficiency, mathematical competencies and acquired knowledge”…..so one should “focus on measurable outcomes.” • “Stable relationships exist between outcomes and inputs to the educational process.” • “We want the biggest bang for our buck.”

  8. A Nation at Risk – or Maybe Not? • “The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people.” • “Salaries for teachers should be professionally competitive, market-sensitive, and performance-based”; standards-based tests are the best measure. • In 1990, Sec. of Energy Watkins commissioned Sandia Laboratories to document ANAR’s “decline” – but the actual datasets showed improvement.

  9. ESEA and Title I • Title I money stems from ESEA; its purpose is to support disadvantaged students. • Reformers demand “scientific” techniques of evaluating effects from money. • Results are used to prioritize expenditures. • Analysis of test scores were to be used to overcome “teacher ignorance.”

  10. California History • 1961 Statewide testing in reading, writing, and math • 1969 Statewide testing changed to grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 • 1972 Students take California Assessment Program (CAP) tests (reading, writing, math) in grades 2, 3, 6 and 12. Most districts also administer the CTBS as well. • 1983 Grade 8 added to CAP; GSE created to identify high-achieving students in grades 7-12. • 1985 Social studies added to CAP. • 1987 Schools are evaluated based on CAP results. • 1990 CAP is replaced by California Learning Assessment System (CLAS). • 1994 NAEP ranks CA near the bottom. • 1995 CLAS is replaced with PTIP

  11. California History • 1997 STAR Program replaces PTIP; core test is Stanford 9 (1997), then the CAT-6 (2003), then CSTs (2008) • 1999 Public Schools Accountability Act establishes HAISP and IIUSP groups; includes money and possible receivership of schools. HAISP schools get $227M in 2000, $157M in 2001, and then nothing. • 2003 GSEs are eliminated • 2004 EAP tests created to evaluate college readiness • 2006 CAHSEE instituted as graduation “gatekeeper”

  12. Policy Conflicts • ESEA v 2.0 (“No Child Left Behind”) establishes escalating testing benchmarks for “successful” schools • Federal government establishes requirements for receipt of Title I and other federal funds However… • Primary funding of education remains with the states, which varies widely based on tax structures used to pay for schools • Standards and assessments – and therefore outcomes – are wildly different • Private schools remain exempt

  13. Common Core Development • National (not federal) standards • Established by National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers in affiliation with Achieve, Inc. • Achieve, Inc. involves governors and CEOs of companies including Microsoft and Pearson affiliates • 2004 AI’s report, “Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts” states that current education does not prepare students for either the workplace or college

  14. Common Core Standards • 2009 Development of standards begins • 45 states, DC, and 4 territories have adopted the CCSS • Each state can add up to 15% to the standards • Standards include ELA and Mathematics • ELA is supposed to be 50%-50% literature and informational reading in elementary levels • The percentage changes to 30%-70% in secondary, BUT literacy skills are supposed to be developed in science, social studies, and technical arts classes

  15. Common Core Assessments • Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) • Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) designed by Pearson • CA (and 22 other states) will begin administering the SBAC assessments in SY14-15 • SBAC is computer-adaptive • SBAC covers only ELA and mathematics

  16. Unresolved Questions • If the CSTs for science and social studies are going to remain the same going forward, how will social studies and science teachers be prompted to alter their curricula? What about technical arts, where there are no CSTs? • How will schools that lack the infrastructure (computers, bandwidth) for computer-adaptive tests be able to complete the assessment? • How will materials (like textbooks and supplements) change, and how will they be paid for?

  17. Other Resources • www.parcconline.org • www.smarterbalanced.org • www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/smarterbalanced.asp • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/where/timeline.html • datacenter.spps.org/sites/2259653e-ffb3-45ba-8fd6-04a024ecf7a4/uploads/SOTW_A_Nation_at_Risk_1983.pdf • www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1991/10/09/06crisis.h11.html • Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System

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