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 Frequently Asked Questions What does the testing industry do to ensure that all tests are scored and reported accurately? In response to the greater demands for scoring and reporting placed on the industry by NCLB, testing companies have developed and refined:
>>back to top Does testing work? Yes. Testing works by providing students, teachers, parents and policy leaders with the information they need to make important decisions about student learning, curricula and instructional approaches. Data derived from testing programs helps educators better target resources to student and schools that need additional support. >>back to top What is a standardized test? A standardized achievement test is, simply, a test that is developed using standard procedures and is then administered and scored in a consistent manner for all test takers. Students respond to identical or very similar questions under the same conditions and test directions. The standardization of test questions, directions, conditions of testing and scoring is needed to make test scores comparable and to assure, as much as possible, that test takers have equal, unbiased opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do. >>back to top Which grade levels are tested under annual NCLB requirements? NCLB requires that each state tests all students annually in grades 3-8 and once between grades 10-12 to measure achievement in reading/language arts and mathematics. Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, states will also be required to test students in science at least once between grades 3-5, once between grades 6-9 and once between grades 10-12. Some states also require that students be tested in subjects not required by NCLB, such as history or writing skills, but these decisions are made on a state-by-state basis and vary greatly. >>back to top How are testing results reported? NCLB requires that states, school districts and schools receive testing results in a specific timeframe. This means that states and assessment companies must work quickly to score tests and report their results to schools. Many states have shifted to web-based reporting, which allows schools to get results faster and access, analyze or print testing results from any location. When it comes to online reporting, security and privacy issues are of the utmost importance. Assessment companies work closely with schools and school districts to ensure that secure servers, secure websites and tools like user authentication and encryption are used in the data download process. >>back to top What steps are taken to ensure that tests are valid, fair and reliable? Tests are designed, piloted and administered following nationally accepted technical standards such as those developed by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education*. NCLB requires that assessments be consistent with these standards. * Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing >>back to top What impact does testing have on children? Although testing may be stressful for some students, testing is a common and expected way of assessing what students have learned. The purpose of state assessments required under No Child Left Behind is to provide an independent insight into each child's progress, as well as each school's. This information is essential for parents, schools, districts and states in their efforts to ensure that every child--regardless of race, ethnic group, gender or family income--is able to achieve high standards. >>back to top What role does technology play in today’s testing environment? Technology is playing an increasing role in today’s testing environment. In anticipation of the testing requirements included in No Child Left Behind, testing companies worked quickly to invest in technology and systems that would receive, scan, score and report test results within short reporting deadlines. Barcode technology is being used to ensure accuracy in student test reporting data. And many states are even beginning to test students by computer on state and federally mandated tests, which are frequently more efficient and less-costly means of assessment. For more information, please visit our Resources (link to resources page) page, or follow these links: >> Computer-Basted Testing >> Online Reporting >> NCLB: The Assessment Industry Meets the Scoring and Reporting Challenge >>back to top What subjects are tested and when? No Child Left Behind requires that each state must measure every child's progress in reading and math in each of grades 3 through 8 and at least once during grades 10 through 12. By school year 2007-2008, states must also have in place science assessments to be administered at least once during grades 3-5, grades 6-9 and grades 10-12. Further, states must ensure that districts administer tests of English proficiency to measure oral language, reading and writing skills in English to all English language learners. Students may still undergo state assessments in other subject areas (i.e., history, geography and writing skills), if and when the state requires it. No Child Left Behind, however, requires assessments only in the areas of reading/language arts, math and science. >>back to top How is testing handled for children with disabilities? How is it handled for those with limited English proficiency? No Child Left Behind requires that all children be assessed. In order to show adequate yearly progress, schools must test at least 95 percent of the various subgroups of children, including their students with disabilities and those who are non-English language speakers. States must provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and for those who are English language learners. For the latter, accommodations may include native-language versions of the assessment; however, in the area of reading and language arts, students who have been in U.S. schools for three consecutive years will be assessed in English. For more information on accommodations in a particular state, contact the appropriate state education agency. >>back to top What types of accommodations are made when testing children who have special needs? All children are required to be tested under No Child Left Behind. The testing industry continues to work closely with experts in the fields of special education, language acquisition, universal design and accommodations to ensure that testing content is clear enough for emerging English speakers to understand, but rigorous enough to be a valid and reliable measure of a student’s knowledge. The testing industry takes great care to word questions as clearly as possible, and tests are designed to maximize equity and access. For more information on this topic please visit our Resources page, or follow these links: >> Assessment of Special Populations: Maximizing Equity and Access >> Assessment of English Language Learners >>back to top Some say that testing causes teachers to teach to the test. Is that true? State assessments are expected to measure how well students meet the state's academic standards, which define what students should know and be able to do in different subject areas at different grade levels. Under the previous reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1994, states were required to develop or adopt standards in mathematics and in reading or language arts; No Child Left Behind requires states to do the same with science standards. Curriculum based on state standards should be taught in the classroom. If teachers cover subject matter required by the standards and teach it well, then students will master the material on which they will be tested--and probably much more. In that case, students will need no special test preparation in order to do well. >>back to top Nevertheless, state assessments sound like they could take a lot of time and effort. What will be gained? The point of state assessments is to measure student learning. A key principle of quality management is the importance of measuring what is valued (e.g., production rates, costs of materials, etc.). Such measures enable an organization to identify where and how to improve operations. In the same manner, if schools and school systems are to continuously improve, they must measure growth in student achievement. After all, the core of all activity in schools and school systems is teaching and learning, and the key question is: Are the students learning? >>back to top Do tests measure the progress of schools? Annual state assessments required under No Child Left Behind produce data on student performance at individual schools; and this information is used to gauge whether each and every school is meeting the state's standard of "adequate yearly progress." Parents can check progress made in improving student performance at their child's school by checking the annual district report card. If their school is not making adequate yearly progress and has been identified as needing improvement, corrective action or restructuring, No Child Left Behind requires that districts notify parents and offer options. >>back to top How does testing help teachers? Annual testing provides teachers with a great deal of information. For example, overall poor results could indicate that the curriculum needs to be reviewed and aligned with the content upon which state standards are based; poor results could also mean that teachers need to modify their instructional methods. Another likely indicator of the same problems would be if teachers saw poor performance by their students in certain areas. Test results could also help teachers to clarify those areas in which they may need professional development. Finally, teachers gain a great deal of information about the performance of individual students that enables them to meet the particular needs of every child. >>back to top How does testing help principals? Annual tests show principals exactly how much progress each teacher's students have made. They can use this information to guide decisions about program selection, curriculum arrangement, professional development for teachers and school resources they might need. Tests also show principals the strengths and weaknesses of students--in terms of the whole school, various subgroups and as individuals--and enable them to make plans that bolster strengths and address weaknesses. >>back to top How can parents find out if their child's school uses information gathered from testing to improve teaching and learning? Parents can ask the principal how their school makes decisions about teaching and learning. They can ask such questions as: Does the faculty meet regularly, review performance data and identify weaknesses to be targeted? Do programs and curricula follow state content standards defining what students should know and be able to do in a given subject, at a given grade level? How is the school using test data to guide decisions about teaching and learning (e.g., how do those data influence professional development, tutoring and selection of materials)? Is there a schoolwide plan that uses testing to evaluate performance, determine areas of strengths and weaknesses in instruction and respond to targeted needs of students? Have test data revealed weaknesses at the school (e.g., low math scores in the fifth and sixth grades)? What are the teachers and principal doing to assess such problems and address them? These are important questions for parents to ask about how their child's school is using testing and the data obtained from it. A number of these questions and answers were provided by the Department of Education. For more information please visit their Web site at www.ed.gov. >>back to top |
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