Standardized Testing: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Introduction

High-stakes standardized testing in the nation's schools is commonplace today, and the practice has been used in American education at some level for more than 175 years. During this time, standardized tests have been accepted by some for their ability to gauge student learning, criticized by others, and openly condemned by still more — yet they have generally persisted as the only cost-effective, uniform method of measuring educational attainment currently available. The purpose of this paper is to examine the good, bad, and even ugly aspects of standardized testing in order to determine what the evidence actually shows. Following this review, a summary of the research and important findings are provided in the conclusion.

The Good: Historical Foundations and Stated Benefits

Much of the "good" associated with standardized testing stems from the fact that these methods have been used in the United States for a very long time. Standardized tests were originally developed by the prominent educator Horace Mann. As one historian reports, "The man considered to be the Father of Standardized Testing in the U.S. is Horace Mann, who was secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education from 1837–48" (History of standardized testing, 2013). Prior to the introduction of standardized tests in 1845, most American schools relied on oral examinations as the primary method of measuring educational attainment (History of standardized testing, 2013).

Proponents also maintain that standardized tests offer several additional benefits. These include the demonstrated ability to objectively measure educational attainment in ways that inconsistent grading schemes cannot, as well as the ability to identify subject areas in need of improvement. In sum, standardized tests provide a valuable framework within which the nation's students can be assessed in a uniform fashion to measure their knowledge (Do standardized tests improve education in America?, 2020). Notwithstanding these positive qualities, critics charge that there are multiple problematic dimensions as well, which are discussed below.

The Bad: Equity Gaps and Demographic Shortcomings

The American schoolhouse of the mid-19th century and most of the 20th century was dramatically different in demographic composition from the nation's schools today (Olson, 2020). Teaching Black students to read and write was actually illegal in some southern states prior to the Civil War, and Native American and Hispanic students were not represented in meaningful numbers in any jurisdiction. As Black (2020) emphasizes, "Public schools in the U.S. today are educating more students from language and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds and from lower socioeconomic groups" (p. 18). English as a second language students from vastly different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds are increasing in number, and many are relegated to largely segregated schools despite the nationwide desegregation mandate established in Brown v. Board of Education.

Standardized testing's track record of effectively measuring educational attainment among minority groups, however, is deeply troubling. Not only have minorities been traditionally provided with inequitable educational opportunities and underfunded schools compared to their white counterparts, but these students also tend to come from low-socioeconomic households where education may not receive the same priority as in more affluent homes. As Black (2020) concludes, "High stakes, standardized tests have long been a part of Texas education policy even though decades of research show this testing to be a deeply flawed policy that further exacerbates already existing educational inequalities and disadvantages minoritized students" (p. 20). Furthermore, by measuring current educational attainment rather than cumulative growth, standardized tests fail to capture student progress over time (Do standardized tests improve education?, 2020).

Conclusion

The United States is a generous nation and it has not skimped on education. Enormous sums of taxpayer resources have been used to build, maintain, and administer public schools across the country, yet far too many students still struggle to attain the education they need to compete effectively in the 21st-century workplace — and many critics blame standardized testing for this suboptimal outcome. The research does show that standardized testing is regarded by some educators as an equitable method of assessing educational attainment and identifying learning deficits. However, the weight of criticism against this testing method makes clear that alternatives are needed, and the sooner the better.