Standardized Testing Reveals School-Level Trends but Does Very Little to Support Students’ Differentiation

In many school districts, spring brings standardized testing, and educators and students alike devote a substantial amount of time to preparing, administering and taking the tests. However, the results aren’t often used to personalize instruction for students. Rather, data collection focuses on broad strokes to collect widespread data that reflects a given school’s or district’s current state of student achievement.

“There could be a lot of helpful things that come from standardized testing, but right now, the main use is still as a measuring tool that shows a school’s performance,” explained Emily Mitchell, vice president of education at Sylvan Learning. “In most cases, a student’s spring assessment scores aren’t shared with the new teacher the following school year. That information could be a useful tool for the new teacher to quickly understand the abilities of the kids in her classroom.

That rarely happens. Teachers are still spending a lot of time getting to know what the class can and cannot handle.”

Mitchell explained that, in the larger-scale context of learning, standardized test scores are to a student’s success what a scale is to weight loss — a tool.

“Just stepping on a scale won’t make you lose weight, just like getting test scores won’t make our students succeed,” she said. “However, when you have that data available to you, you’re able to act accordingly. It’s what you do with that information that matters.”

Unfortunately, standardized tests are sometimes high-stakes, creating a substantial amount of stress for parents and teachers alike. In various districts across the country, standardized testing is used to inform performance-based pay, meaning teacher’s salaries can be impacted by students’ scores, school funding and student promotions.

“In some states, it doesn’t matter what a child’s report card says. If they don’t pass the end-of-year standardized test, they are not promoted to the next grade,” Mitchell said. “This is not a fair measure because it cannot account for test anxiety, a student’s poor night of sleep or even just an ‘off’ day.”

However, the weight of standardized tests is clearly communicated to teachers, and many schools spend a substantial amount of time preparing for them. Though the scores may not have much use internally, testing is mandated, and it reflects on the school system in other arenas. With too much time dedicated to preparation, students can miss out on other important academic processes and experiences.

Parents can use information from standardized test scores to learn more about their child as a student.

“I would encourage parents to talk to the school and try to get more information,” Mitchell added. “Sometimes, you can see a sample of the test to better understand what your child will be doing. Ask how the data will be used and what the plan is when results come in. If the parent-facing results are in education jargon and difficult to decipher, ask the school for help interpreting what the scores mean for their child.”

Parents can also bring their child’s spring assessment report to parent-teacher conferences in the fall with a new teacher. Make a copy for the teacher to keep. This will help the new teacher better understand a student’s strengths and weaknesses beyond what they may see in the classroom. With adequate knowledge, informed parents can better advocate for their children and more helpful use of end-of-year test scores.