Running head: EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

Effects of Standardized Testing

Shawna Peterson
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 6327 Dr. Bieler

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

Consequences of Standardized Testing

Standardized testing has been a controversial issue across the board within each
state and the districts that they are comprised of. Standardized testing has existed for over a
hundred years in public schools. However, it has evolved into something that is no longer stressfree. Schools performance and rankings in Texas have been based off of the standardized test
scores for years now. The STAAR test is mainly composed of multi-step questioning that
involves multiple skills at one time, which is a more intensive concept than having one question
based off of one skill with the TAAS and TAKS tests. Some teachers have become increasingly
more robotic by teaching to the test over the years, rather than making learning an enjoyable
process. When schools do not meet expectations, then they are reviewed for two consecutive
years to see if the scores can improve. On top of all of the curriculum decisions, and test taking
strategies that are created to perform well on the test, there have been an increasing amount of
conversations on how students are also affected by these tests. The anxiety that students build up
can have a huge impact on their performance. Every teacher knows how fickle a childs mood
can be, therefore, having a teachers livelihood put in the hands of a childs behavior on one day
out of their life is a completely unreasonable situation that needs to be heavily evaluated. I have
researched numerous articles on the opinions of standardized testing, and I have come to agree
with the majority of the investigations.
Katy Independent School District had a meeting to vote on standardized testing. The
district unanimously voted to have all high-stakes testing funded by the federal government
removed. However, they still have to wait to see what will ultimately be decided, because local
school boards currently have no authority with regard to the administration of state-mandated
testing, [but] Katy ISD's Board fully supports bills that could reduce and/or eliminate such high-

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

stake tests (KatyISD, pg. 1,2015). In addition to having the high-stakes test removed, The
Board resolution also calls for state-funded local assessments in lieu of the high-stakes tests.
Such local assessments would provide detailed diagnostics that could assist students in their
learning (KatyISD, pg. 1, 2015). These local assessments would not have any bearing on
graduation or acceptance into the next grade level, such as 6th and 9th grades. The tests also
quality instructional time is often compromised to prepare students for standardized high-stakes
testing (Michalsky, pg. 2, 2015). The board of trustees also stated that there has not been a
measurable improvement in college readiness as a result of the state assessment program, and the
state of Texas has historically required more state-mandated , high-stakes tests for high school
graduation than most other states under its assessment program (Michalsky, pg.2, 2015). The
article talks about schools moving towards assessments designed to provide detailed diagnostics
that assist students in their learning [that] would ultimately improve student outcomes and their
trajectory for advancement (Michalsky, pg. 2, 2015). This article was very informative, and
gave a lot of research based facts. There was also a study that found belief that standardized
criterion testing data was more useful than all other teachers was not supported and found not to
be true (Stephens, pg. 94, 2010). It also established that all subject areas use the data the same
amount, and that there is not one content area that uses the data more than the other. The authors
created a survey and chose 242 middle school teachers from four different schools to interview
on what they felt about standardized testing and how it affects the educational system. The main
strength of this article was the strong background that went into creating the survey. I felt that the
questions were well written to accurately analyze the perceptions of teachers and collecting and
using data. The answers lead to very clear results that were 90% conclusive across the board.
In another article written by James Popham, he states, for several important reasons,
standardized achievement tests should not be used to judge the quality of education (Popham,

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

pg.1, 1999). He believes the scores on these tests should only be used to make other
comparisons, and not to make decisions on how effective a school is. The tests are too general to
be a fair representation of the school, they only compare a small collection of items, and the
questions should be representations of exactly what is taught in school. Perhaps on of the most
important statements related to standardize testing is that Standardized tests can place a huge
amount of stress on students and teachers alike. This can lead to negative health consequences as
well as feelings of negativity directed at school and learning in general (Margie, pg. 1, 2014). It
is my intention to test the stress levels of students throughout the testing process, as well as the
difference in confidence, and overall successful scores.
Current Study and Hypothesis
The current case study will explore the results of twelve students; six of which will take
the STAAR test in he or shes perspective grade levels, and the other six will partake in six week
exams pertaining of the same STAAR questions. The students were chosen randomly with only
three requirements; report card grades, sex, and grade level. Four students were chosen from
each fifth, eighth, and twelfth grade. Two in each grade level had to be boys, and two had to be
girls. The last requirement was that all students had to be receiving As in all their classes to
participate. This measure was taken in order to get the most accurate comparisons between very
similar studious students. The tests that will be administered every six weeks will require the
same questions being asked on the STAAR test. My hypothesis is that the students who will be
taking the tests with the same questions every six weeks will perform better overall due to less
material being tested at once, and lower stress levels due to the test being spread out throughout
the year rather than accumulated all on one day.

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

Method
Participants:
The proposed research will be conducted over a years time. In order to properly test the
difference between a standardized test on one day of the year versus every 6 weeks, there will
need to be multiple subjects in multiple different grade levels. The test will not be carried out in
grade fourth, seventh, or twelfth due to the writing STAAR test. There will be four students from
fifth grade, four students from eighth grade, and four students from tenth grade. There are two
females and two males from each grade level being tested, and all students receive As on report
cards. Parents will be notifies that his or her student has been selected to participate in a study
that will be conducted at the school he or she attends. I will obtain written permission from the
parents involved as well.
Measures:
To fairly test the participants, one boy and one girl from each grade level being tested
will take the regular state mandated STAAR test on the assigned testing date for each subject
being tested. The other two students from each grade level being tested will be receiving a test
every six weeks using the same STAAR questions. The six weeks tests will be made from
STAAR released questions, and will only cover what those students have learned so far. Each test
will be cumulative, all the way up until the STAAR test. All students will take a survey of
questions that inquiry on how the STAAR test makes he or she feel before the year of research
begins, as well as questions related to how prepare he or she feels when the STAAR test date
approaches. After the year is over, students will answer the same questions he or she did at the
beginning of the year in addition to which method he or she felt best suited their needs. The
students who took the 6 weeks tests would be the students where I would like to see

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

improvement in overall confidence and moral. I will use qualitative and quantitative data to
compare the two groups of students.
Design and Procedure:
A study designed with both qualitative and quantitative components will be used for
validity on the case study. In order to make sure there are variables that are the same across the
board, all students taking the six week tests will go to the same room in the school he or she
attends for every administration. Ideally this would be the library or another quiet ___location where
there will be no interruption. The students who are taking the one administration of the STAAR
test will remain in their classrooms, as to keep the test as realistic as possible. The scores of the
six weeks tests and the STAAR test will be compared as qualitative data. I would hope to see
better scores from the students who are taking the six weeks tests, but everything will remain
very stable and uninterrupted throughout the year. Students who are taking the six week
examinations will have to have written permission from the teachers as well, because they will
be removed from the classroom that the tests are administered in.
At the end of the year in addition to the aforementioned survey questions, students will be
interviewed to discuss their anxiety levels on the tests. All students will be interviewed one on
one to be able to get a true visual on the testing scenario that students would prefer as well.
Data Analysis Plan:
Data will be organized through excel in order to have a side by side comparison of the
students who took six week tests versus students who took the one administration of the STAAR
test. All names will be protected, and only ages, report card grades, and grade levels will be
displayed. All other information will be kept confidential.

EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

References
Margie. "Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing." N.p., 27 May 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
Michalsky, Bryan. "RESOLUTION." The Choral Journal 15.9 (1975): 2. KatyISD Board of
Trustees, 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
http://www.katyisd.org/dept/communications/documents/Resolution%20onAssessment.pdf.
Popham, James. "Membership." Educational Leadership:Using Standards and Assessments:Why
Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality. ASCD, Mar. 1999. Web. 22 Mar.
2015.
Stephens, Darrell LaMar, "Perceptions of Middle School Teachers Regarding the Use of
Standardized Testing Data" (2010). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. Paper 370.