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Inside Our Schools: Uses and Misuses of Standardized Tests
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A recent reader queried me whether or not I thought there was a use for standardized tests. Since this is a big issue, it deserves some thought and comment. Mine are based on my experience as an educator, many of whose students themselves became teachers.
The purpose of the earliest standardized test, pioneered by the French psychologist, Alfred Binet, was in order to HELP students who were falling behind in their studies to get extra instruction so that they would keep up with the rest of the class. It was not intended to judge, segregate, punish, or leave behind students who were not successful in passing these tests.
During the First World War, so-called intelligence tests were administered by R.M. Yerkes to U.S. Army recruits, many of whom were newly arrived immigrants with little knowledge of English or the styles of communication used by the test administrators. The results were that Eastern Europeans, Jews, and African Americans were considered of "inferior intelligence" while "whites," particularly of Northern European descent, were rated much higher. The data collected from these "IQ" tests was used to support restrictive immigration legislation on millions of refugees who would otherwise have been allowed into the United States. The excuse was that these "inferior intelligences" would "dilute" the "pure white American stock" and cause great harm to the Nation.
In his definitive study of "intelligence tests," "The Mismeasure of Man," Stephen Jay Gould showed through scientific evidence, how these tests were manipulated, misread, poorly administered, and used for political gain. It is a book I would recommend to anyone who is curious about "intelligence tests."
As far as "standardized tests" are concerned, I wouldn't deny that they had their uses. The NAEP national test is probably as good as has yet been developed. But unlike the tests that Mayor Bloomberg's Administration is using, NAEP does not reward or punish schools for producing "results." It does not close down schools that need more help and traumatize children, teachers and administrators that are expected to "perform." Standardized tests should be used for positive objectives, bearing in mind that they can be very inaccurate and misleading in determining the best way a student can learn, especially since many students respond more easily to non-written forms of assessment that might lead to best practices in teaching reading and writing. In short, standardized tests should be a tool; not a weapon.
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