One of the biggest problems with the hotly debated standardized tests of our day is that we have come to ask a great deal of a tool that wasn’t designed for so many purposes. NCTE has a lot to say on this matter; reading up on these position statements will give you both background on problems and talking points around solutions about what can and cannot work with this kind of assessment tool.
“Use standardized tests only to give leaders the yearly data about students’ literacy learning they need to make evidence-based decisions to promote and hold themselves accountable for equity.” — 2015 NCTE Education Policy Platform
- Read the Resolution on Mandatory Grade Retention and High-Stakes Testing.
- See Machine Scoring Fails the Test and the Standards for the Assessment of Reading and Writing.
- Participate in the Assessment Story Project and take this survey to share your perspectives. If you’ve done this already, share the survey link with a friend!