So, what’s wrong with standardized tests? Beyond the many educational and philosophical problems, it seems quite a few errors can creep into the process of writing, taking, and scoring the exams themselves.
The article offers a variety of examples, none of which should come as a surprise.
However, two excellent points on the larger issues are offered towards the end.
“Test scores can easily be corrupted,” he [Thomas M. Haladyna, a professor of educational psychology at Arizona State University] said. “You shouldn’t trust a test score unless it is validated with other information that corroborates it.”
“The unfortunate truth is that the fates of students – and their parents – are at the mercy of the testing industry,” Mr. Schaeffer [public education director of FairTest] said. “Absent mechanisms for oversight and regulation, we have to hope they get it right.”
The standardized testing mandates we have woven into the core of our educational system are absolute. They require no corroboration whatsoever. And it’s a faith-based process, since we have only hope that the companies running it get it right.
Welcome to teaching and learning in the 21st century.