Future of Testing in Education: The Way Forward for State Standardized Tests

• Published in: Policy File 2021
• Main Authors: Jimenez, Laura, Boser, Ulrich
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Center for American Progress; Education

Federal law requires all public school students in grades three to eight to take an annual assessment in reading and math at the end of the year and requires students to take an assessment once during high school. The goal of this assessment is to measure the extent to which all students are meeting the state's academic standards. These standards must align with the knowledge and skills in reading and math that students need to succeed in first-year college reading and math courses. Ensuring all students are held to rigorous standards is a key goal of equity in education. Yet many question the value of yearly standardized testing in schools since the opportunity to receive a high-quality education and graduate high school adequately prepared for college-level academics is still wholly inequitable. Students who are Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic graduate high school at lower rates than their white peers, and they require catch-up coursework in college more often. What is more, the costs and time associated with assessments, delayed results, and failure of tests alone to improve students' academic results leave many to wonder if they are worth the effort at best, and at worst, if they harm students and punish teachers and schools. The yearly state standardized assessment alone cannot ensure a high-quality education for every child. But without it, educators do not know their progress toward meeting that goal. Despite the valid concerns that remain about standardized assessments and their role in education, there are a number of upsides and value to standardized testing. For instance, it is the only common measure of grade-level academic standards for all public school students. As such, it is one measure to determine if students are on track for college or career readiness when they graduate high school. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)federal law requiring all students to be held to the same high standardsone way to help ensure an equitable opportunity to a high-quality education.