{"id":59330,"date":"2021-09-14T04:52:55","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T08:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=59330"},"modified":"2021-09-14T04:52:55","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T08:52:55","slug":"6-big-changes-in-standardized-tests-including-less-focus-on-grading-students-and-more-on-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/6-big-changes-in-standardized-tests-including-less-focus-on-grading-students-and-more-on-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"6 big changes in standardized tests \u2013 including less focus on grading students and more on learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nThe standardized tests given to children in schools today are a lot different from those their parents might remember.<\/p>\n

For example, students today might take a standardized test at home on a laptop or other digital device. That test is\u00a0more likely<\/a>\u00a0than before to incorporate content on\u00a0diverse cultural heritages<\/a>. And students taking a test may not even be aware they are being assessed, as more tests are\u00a0blended with instruction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a\u00a0psychometrician<\/a>\u00a0who has designed, evaluated and researched educational tests for over 25 years, I believe this new era of school testing is a great improvement. It means tests have more potential to\u00a0facilitate student learning<\/a>, rather than just monitor learning or penalize students. And it shows that, after years of\u00a0growing public distrust<\/a>\u00a0in educational testing, standardized tests are no longer just tools for accountability \u2013 the public is now\u00a0holding test makers accountable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are six ways standardized tests are evolving.<\/p>\n

1. Less common in admissions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The federal\u00a0No Child Left Behind Act<\/a>\u00a0of 2001, and its successor, the\u00a0Every Student Succeeds Act<\/a>\u00a0of 2015, require states to periodically test all students in grades 3-8, and once in high school, in math, reading and science. These mandated tests are used to\u00a0evaluate teachers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0assign performance labels<\/a>\u00a0to children, such as \u201cinadequate\u201d or \u201cminimal understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u201copt-out\u201d movement<\/a>, in which parents and their children organized and refused to take these tests, arose in response. As a result, over a dozen states in 2015\u00a0did not meet the federal requirements<\/a>\u00a0to test at least 95% of students.<\/p>\n

High school and college admissions tests have also been targets of criticism and are declining in use.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the University of California decided to phase out ACT and SAT testing requirements due in large part to the impact these scores had on\u00a0denying admissions<\/a>\u00a0to Black and Hispanic students. Similar complaints surround admissions tests\u00a0for competitive high schools<\/a>. For example, a March 2021 lawsuit against New York City and the state claims that the high school admissions process \u201cdenies equal opportunity and protection to students of color<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Taken at home on different devices<\/strong><\/h4>\n

For over a century, standardized tests involved students seated at desks in front of a proctor watching the clock. The tests were administered under stringent conditions to ensure all students were tested on the same content and under the\u00a0same testing conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic changed that and made it nearly impossible to administer educational tests in classrooms or other school settings. This prompted\u00a0more flexible tests<\/a>. In 2020, students began taking high-stakes tests such as\u00a0Advanced Placement<\/a>,\u00a0the Graduate Management Admission Test<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0statewide exams<\/a>\u00a0at home. Some tests require a proctor to watch students\u00a0via their computer\u2019s camera<\/a>, or they use additional software to\u00a0flag suspicious behavior<\/a>\u00a0that may indicate cheating.<\/p>\n

3. Integrated with other education software<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an emphasis on technology to not only deliver tests digitally and remotely, but to also integrate them with a wide array of instructional software.<\/p>\n

One familiar example of such integration is the\u00a0Duolingo app<\/a>, which teaches foreign languages by\u00a0constantly testing users<\/a>. Testing companies are also\u00a0partnering with curriculum companies<\/a>\u00a0so that the results from tests can be used to suggest what students and teachers should focus on next. Other developments use technology to assess students\u00a0while they are learning<\/a>. This integration makes the tests more useful because teachers and learners can benefit from more tailored instruction, or instruction\u00a0embedded in the assessment<\/a>\u00a0itself.<\/p>\n

4. Recognize cultural diversity of students<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The new generation of educational tests are beginning to reflect more diverse material to which students from different groups can relate.<\/p>\n

For instance, a test today might\u00a0mention topics<\/a>\u00a0like the Black Lives Matter movement or immigration reform to acknowledge the presence of racism in society and honor students\u2019 cultural heritages.<\/p>\n

5. More personalized<\/strong><\/h4>\n

More tests are using technology to\u00a0personalize assessments and encourage student engagement<\/a>. For example, the\u00a0difficulty of the test can change<\/a>\u00a0based on how well students are doing while they take it. And new research funded by the U.S. Department of Education aims to\u00a0transform tests<\/a>\u00a0so teachers, employers and students can design their own tests for specific purposes such as diagnosing student needs.<\/p>\n

6. Emphasize learning over competition<\/h4>\n

Finally, the new tests will deemphasize comparing students to one another and instead highlight the knowledge and skills students have demonstrated, in addition to pointing out what they should work on.<\/p>\n

Moreover, new tests being designed will not interrupt instruction \u2013 they will be part of it. To best inform learning and instruction,\u00a0shorter tests, targeted to recent instruction<\/a>, will be administered, and students\u2019 performance will be reported quickly. Teachers will be guided on how to use the results to\u00a0inform and improve their instruction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By incorporating technology to engage students and integrate testing with instruction, and by making test materials relevant to a wider diversity of students, I believe the new educational tests will better serve education.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Stephen Sireci is Professor of Psychometrics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The standardized tests given to children in schools today are a lot different from those their parents might remember. For example, students today might take a standardized test at home on a laptop or other digital device. That test is\u00a0more likely\u00a0than before to incorporate content on\u00a0diverse cultural heritages. And students taking a test may not […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[13118],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-59330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-standardized-tests"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 big changes in standardized tests \u2013 including less focus on grading students and more on learning - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/6-big-changes-in-standardized-tests-including-less-focus-on-grading-students-and-more-on-learning\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 big changes in standardized tests \u2013 including less focus on grading students and more on learning - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The standardized tests given to children in schools today are a lot different from those their parents might remember. 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