Standardized Testing

A test becomes a standardized test when it is administered (directions) to all students under the same conditions (time limit) and scored in the same manner for all students. The major purpose of a standardized test is to allow reliable and valid comparisons to be made among students taking the test. Two major types of standardized tests are currently in use; norm-referenced and criterion-referenced.

Norm-referenced Test

A norm-referenced test is a test that has been given to representative samples of students such that norms of performance are established. Each student taking the test receives a score that can be compared to the norm or sample of students. Scores are reported in percentiles or quartiles and/or grade levels. The main purpose of a norm-referenced test is to rank students along a distribution of performance. Thus, norm-referenced tests are likely to have items that are very difficult for the grade level so students can be ranked.

Criterion-referenced Test

Criterion-referenced tests may look much like norm-referenced in that multiple choice items are predominantly used and directions are standardized. The development of criterion-referenced tests is based upon the content all students are expected to learn. Thus, theoretically, every child who has received adequate instruction should be able to answer each of the questions. Scores are based upon the amount of content learned by the student and compared to a 'passing score', not compared to other students. Often scores are reported in achievement level category descriptors such as novice, accomplished, and expert.

What Standardized Tests Can Do

Standardized tests can be used to show areas of student achievement. When used appropriately and keyed to standards and curriculum they can show performance relative to learning goals.

Standardized tests can show program effectiveness. For example, standardized tests can show educators whether the mathematics program is effectively teaching the content covered by the test.

Standardized tests can also show overall school progress toward improving student achievement.

Standardized tests can show gaps in achievement among different groups of students in the school when the data are disaggregated by group.

What Standardized Tests Cannot Do

Standardized tests cannot provide reliable, thorough diagnostic information on each child's needs.

Tests alone cannot improve education without attention and resources to improving instruction, teacher quality, facilities, and access for all students. In fact, over-reliance on standardized testing is potentially detrimental to education and school improvement by transferring resources from instructional programs into the testing program.

Increased standardized testing can narrow the focus of the curriculum to the content that is measured.

Standardized tests can only measure a sample of what is learned in school. Increasing the use and the consequences of testing can create a stressful and anxious learning environment for educators and students, rather than schools where teachers and students view learning as a joyful, inquisitive process that provides a sense of true accomplishment for teachers and students.

Standardized tests, particularly tests with only multiple choice questions, often have difficulty in measuring higher level thinking, deep content knowledge and the ability to construct meaning, solve problems, and analyze critically. Recently states have begun to develop criterion-referenced tests, which are standardized, but are more closely aligned to state content standards than most norm-referenced tests. Innovative item development that has included more open-ended questions has also improved the capacity of tests for measuring different levels of learning and promoting higher-level thinking skills. However, these tests, when constructed correctly, take even more time and expense to administer and score.