Standardized Testing In Public Schools (Essay Sample)

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Standardized Testing In Public Schools
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Standardized forms of tests will usually be in a number of questions in series coming up with multiple choices or answers from which the test takers will be required to answer appropriately. Upon selection of a given answer, the papers are collected or scanned immediately by use of electronic machines and computers. This is a research paper which gives the relevant information of this kind of testing and how it has been applied in public schools. The paper has given an appropriate introduction into the discussion, an overview of standardized testing, the historical developments, advantages and disadvantages which outweigh the advantages.
Introduction
Different ways of testing has been realized with each and every method having a number of appraisals as well as concerns. Generally, a standardized test shall be referred to as a kind of test that has been designed in a particular manner so that there is an overall consistency with the questions being administered, the conditions under which such questions are being administered, the procedures of scoring, and in the final interpretations. Such tests will be administered and finally scored in a manner which has been predetermined. Standardized testing has been applied in a number of public schools because it presents a better approach through which the greatest majority of the students can be taught and tested (Phelps 19). However, the standardized testing in public schools is something that has greatly been criticized by many educators and parents, arguing that the method of testing is not in the least fair and while at the same time being unable to measure the abilities of a student, and the reason they have been pushing for the abolishment of this kind of testing. However, despite all these issues with the kind of testing, it is quite clear that it is still being applied in the majority of the public schools today. Due to this kind of understanding with the standardized testing, there have been a number of attempts aimed in abolishing the procedures of the testing by giving adequate evidences on how the testing system can damage the quality of education (Brown 26).
Historical Developments of Standardized Testing
There has been a number of possible evidences that the earliest forms of standardized kind of testing must have begun somewhere in China in which a number of packs were used as form of art. This included a number of archeries, horsemanship, use of arithmetic, writing, and even with ritual celebrations. As days went by, studies were developed into which military operations, civic strategies, law, taxation, revenue, agriculture as well as the field of geography adopted the testing approach. Shorty, it became possible to administer a number of examinations through institutionalized procedures (Kohn 43). This was as early as in the sixth century. The standardized kind of testing did not come about as a traditional practice but had been had adopted new approaches which would deliver the message to the learner and check for the rate of understanding. Later revolutions brought greater enhancements to standardized testing procedures and operations. Going back to the United States, the adoption and use of this standardized testing must have come in during the mid years of the 20th century. This has then undergone through tremendous developments to modern computer-based grading for the standardized tests. However, it should be noted that the entire globe has been greatly concerned with this kind of testing and especially with the public schools (Hotvedt 37).
An Overview of Standardized Testing
When it comes to practice, the standardized testing procedure shall be comprised of some multiple-choice questions, true-false or even essay questions. These items will be tested in an inexpensive and yet quick manner by ensuring that answers have been scored through the use of computers, a good example being with Computer Adaptive Testing (Jencks & Christopher 87). Some of the tests might require short-answer responses or writing essay components which will then be evaluated independently by the use of rubrics, also known as guidelines. This will then be subjected to benchmark papers which will be used in determining the grades arrived at within the responses given by the student. It should be noted that majority of the assessments will not be scored on the score-sheets by people but by use of computers.
When it comes to the scores, there will be two kinds of scores: the norm-referenced and the criterion-referenced, whereby the norm-referenced kinds of scores would compare the test-takers while the other one gives much consideration to the formal discussions and quality of content in the answers (Phelps 37). Another important thing with these kinds of tests is that the eventual considerations on reliability and validity should be considered to be essential for determining the overall quality of all the standardized tests. Evaluation and testing standards are also given the greatest consideration when it comes to the standardized tests. This is usually governed by a number of publications which have to be followed keenly by different examiners in given public schools and other institutions. Having seen some of the important elements and features of standardized testing, it is necessary that a brief discussion on some of the important aspects or advantages of this kind of testing (Stecher & Laura 47).
Another important issue that has to be understood with standardized tests is that they will tend to take different forms which include a set or series of exams and questions which have multiple answers which a student has to choose. These questions will have to be filled in by very many individuals taking the test immediately, after which the answers are taken and graded by use of scanning technologies and computers. These tests are hence designed for measuring the test-takers so that their understanding cane be compared with that of the other takers of the exams. This can also be used to compare a number of schools or other higher learning institutions (Edwards 52). Standardized tests will thus be presented on a piece of paper or be administered from a computer. This means that the individual taking the test will have to be presented with a statement, a question, or some sum or problem, from which he or she will be required to select one the choices he feels right and by so doing answer the question presented. Sometimes, the expected answer from the test take might be straightforward. However, the answers tend to be presented in a bit unclear manner so that the individual might be challenged accordingly. After picking the answer the test taker feels right and appropriate, the papers are then collected after which the scores are taken (Stecher & Laura 49).
Advantages of Standardized Testing
There are a number of advantages that come along with this kind of testing. To begin with, one the outstanding with advantages with the standardized testing approach is in that the results obtained will be easily documented empirically. Due to this capability, it means that the scores from the test will tend to have a high degree of reliability and validity thus making it easy to replicate the results. This will also be easy to contrast with the grades that have been recorded in the school transcript (Mersky & Harris 68). With this kind of testing, it has been proved to be easy to make the accounting of the differences existing between different cultures in education across different schools. Therefore, it becomes possible to make comparisons of the performances of different students from different parts of a country.
Another advantage worth noting is with aggregation. When the standardized test has been well designed, it will be noted that it becomes very easy to be assess the mastery of an individual on a given idea, skill or concept. This can as well be done with a larger-sized sample while retaining the accuracy of the assessment. Another important thing with standardized tests is that they will be administered to same students under similar situations or conditions, thus being very fair as compared with the kinds of tests which tend to be biased to different societies, different races, or social statuses (Mersky & Harris 69).
Some other appraisals with these kinds of tests is that they tend to be cheap, and very quick when it comes to grading (Lessinger & Salowe 87). They as well give room for analysts to be able to carry out analysis on a wide range of sample for different individuals. Due to this quality, standardized tests can be effectively applied in measuring the rate at which a given public school is progressing in its academics through carrying out a comparison on different test results from other students in other schools. However, a number of critics have been keen on observing that standardized tests will not at all be the ultimate solution towards measuring the intelligence level and understanding level of individual students and their overall performance. This is because the testing system itself is very simplistic and quite unreliable. This is so because it may not be able to determine whether the student has been able to understand all the other issues surrounding a given topic which might have had been tested in the test. As it has been noted earlier, a number of parents have keenly been criticizing the standardized testing method saying that it is not in the least fair and the reason it has to be done away with. According to these individuals, they have been keen to note that different schools have continued to use the tests in determining when given students are ready to be enrolled in school, also in tracking their performances and trying to ...