Standardized tests in the United States

Standardized tests in the United States
Name	Standardized tests in the United States
Established	19th century
Type	Academic assessment

Standardized tests in the United States are structured assessments administered to measure knowledge, skills, or aptitudes across populations and cohorts. They have shaped policy, institutional selection, and public debate involving No Child Left Behind Act, Every Student Succeeds Act, College Board, Educational Testing Service, American Psychological Association and numerous state departments such as the New York State Education Department, California Department of Education, Texas Education Agency.

History

Standardized testing in the United States traces roots to 19th-century movements including the Civil Service Reform Act, the influence of figures like Horace Mann, the advent of psychometrics promoted by Alfred Binet, and adoption by institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University. 20th-century expansions involved organizations like Educational Testing Service, influences from the SAT, the ACT, wartime testing such as the Army Alpha and Army Beta programs, and legal milestones including rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States that intersect with statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and policies under administrations of presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan.

Types and Examples

Major categories include achievement tests exemplified by state assessments like the New York Regents Examinations, federally influenced batteries under No Child Left Behind Act, college admissions tests such as the SAT and ACT, graduate and professional exams including the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and licensure exams like the United States Medical Licensing Examination and state bar examinations administered by bodies such as the American Bar Association. Additional instruments include aptitude instruments influenced by projects from Educational Testing Service, intelligence measures tracing to work by James McKeen Cattell, and standardized assessments for language proficiency such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language and International English Language Testing System.

Administration and Scoring

Administration protocols are set by organizations including College Board, ACT, Inc., and Educational Testing Service and follow standardized timing, proctoring rules, and accommodation procedures codified with reference to standards from the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. Scoring methods range from scaled scoring systems used by the SAT and GRE to percentile-based reporting associated with the ACT and norm-referenced reporting found in many historical batteries such as Stanford Achievement Test. Security incidents and test validity debates have engaged agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prompted litigation in federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Uses and Impacts

Testing data inform admissions decisions at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, influence funding allocations under laws like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and guide accountability frameworks used by state boards such as the California State Board of Education. Standardized results shape research published by entities including the Brookings Institution, Pew Research Center, and National Center for Education Statistics and have been used in longitudinal studies involving cohorts tracked by the Census Bureau and analysts at the Rand Corporation.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques arise from scholars associated with institutions like Teachers College, Columbia University, activists connected to movements such as StudentsFirst and public figures including Michelle Rhee, arguing that high-stakes use promotes teaching to the test, narrows curricula, or exacerbates disparities documented in studies by NAEP and civil rights litigation pursued through courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. Controversies also involve privacy and data concerns raised in proceedings before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and debates about cultural bias discussed by researchers affiliated with Howard University, University of Chicago, and Harvard University.

Policy and Reform

Reform efforts reference legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act, the Every Student Succeeds Act, and administrative directives from presidential administrations including those of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; they engage stakeholders such as state education agencies, nonprofit organizations like the Annenberg Foundation, advocacy groups including the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, and policy research centers like the Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York to pilot alternatives, performance assessments, and measurement innovations promoted by researchers at RAND Corporation and standards bodies like the American Educational Research Association.

Category:Testing in the United States