Sara Farlett

November 30, 2017

Tests and Measurements

Article Review: Standardized Testing

Stotsky, S. (2016). Testing limits. Academic Questions, 29, 285-298.

The article, Testing Limits by Sandra Stotsky, was written primarily to analyze and

discuss the advantages and challenges of standardized testing and to provide reasons why

teaching to the test is likely to become more prolific in education. The article includes a history

of legislation related to standardize testing and the increased emphasis that the Bush and Obama

administration has placed on standardized tests. Stotsky also explores the common criticisms of

standardized testing and the implications of teaching to the test.

The article provides a detailed background of changes in standardized testing, particularly

since the early 1990s. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) increased the standardized testing

throughout elementary and secondary school. Subsequent legislation including Every Student

Succeeds Act (ESSA) largely continued the standardized testing. Throughout these legislative

changes, education unions opposed standardized testing, particularly with regard to evaluating

teachers. Many civil rights activists encourage the use of standardized testing. Initially, they

believed that this could create an even playing field for students of under represented groups and

areas. Stotsky believes that they now encourage the use of standardized testing because it could

be used to hold teachers or schools accountable, instead of accountability towards students or

parents.
 The advantages and disadvantages of standardized testing are widely disputed, according

to the article. Many people believe that there are biases in teacher made tests that are drastically

reduced when standardized tests are used. There is also an obvious inconsistency when teacher

made tests are used. It is difficult to compare the tests of students in the same subject when the

tests differ; standardized testing eliminates this subjectivity.

The article details risks and concerns related to standardized testing and teaching to the

test. Among these concerns are the lack of individualization of the tests to the material that is

actually covered during class time. It is also noted that with standardized testing there is a

tendency to teach to the test. Oftentimes, when teachers teach to the test, subject material such as

history, music, and art are completely left out because they are not tested. A large concern of

standardized testing is the anonymity that comes with it. The teachers are able to see the scores

of their class, but not what particular questions they missed. Without this knowledge, teachers

lack the ability to reteach specific material that the students did not successfully learn.

Standardized tests also fail to holistically assess what a student has learned, often neglecting the

important aspects such as comprehension and critical thinking.

Additional challenges associated with standardized testing relate to the administration of

the tests. Computer based testing along with instructions that are often written at levels more

advanced than the grade being tested can lead to students being evaluated on test taking skills

rather than their knowledge of the subject matter. Standardized tests are typically administered at

local schools which provides an inconsistent environment for test taking which could bias the

results. There have been instances where a majority of schools have claimed that their students

have scored above average on testing. Some blame the high-stakes nature of standardized tests

for this dishonesty, while others just believe it is the competitive nature between schools.
 The article documents that a contributor to why both standardized testing and teaching to

the test remains disputed is a lack of imperial data regarding its effectiveness. Those who support

and are opposed to extensive use of standardized testing tend to use anecdotes and surveys to

support their point of view, yet neither can present clear data that shows significant improvement

or decline based on the increase of use of standardized tests.

Stotsky clearly voices concerns that the United States has not sufficiently learned form

approaches used in other countries. One of the most significant examples of this is that tests used

to evaluate how prepared a student is for college (such as ACT and SAT) are also used to

evaluate how well the student has mastered their high school curriculum. The author argues that

a test structure to evaluate previous learning should be significantly different than a test used to

project how a student will preform in future conditions, such as college.

While Stotsky clearly addresses the lack of unbiased scientific analysis of testing, she

fails to present an objective view of standardized testing. Stotsky clearly lays out the pros and

cons to standardized testing through the quotes and analysis of those with opposing views. The

article becomes difficult to read as it is often repetitive. Stotsky provides an argument for using

essay style questions, however, this comes with many disadvantages. Essay style questions

increase subjectivity in evaluation. It is also more time consuming and would require a larger

number of graders to decrease the subjectivity while grading. The author provides a number of

criticisms of different testing techniques without providing an alternative solution. The author

effectively presents her opinion of the motivation behind the positions of many groups such as

unions, civil rights organizations, legislators, and others. This provides insight into the many

different motives regarding the use of standardized testing. Overall, this article is beneficial for
education students to read because it provides multiple points of view on this topic that are often

not represented in the mainstream media.