September 24, 2014
Today’s educational landscape is filled with standardized testing, and with it has come much heated debate. Last year, researchers at MIT, Harvard, and Brown released a study that showed raised student test scores were not associated with an increase in “fluid intelligence”—a term used to refer to our ability to use logical thinking and problem solving in novel situations rather than recalling previously learned facts and skills. Others, such as educational researcher Alfie Kohn, continued to express concern over an overemphasis on standardized testing in this country, believing that this trend is robbing children of a well-balanced education. And still others, as highlighted by the Time Magazine article “Why It’s Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests,” are worried about bias in standardized testing.
All of these concerns have validity, and following research and educational discussions in all areas—including standardized testing—is something that’s important to administrators and educators at MPA. But like most issues we face in this world, there are many complexities surrounding testing and no clear-cut answer. Benefits of standardized testing can also be found, including a peer-reviewed, 100-year analysis of testing research that showed 93% of studies on student testing—including the use of large-scale and high-stakes standardized tests—found a “positive effect” on student achievement. And quantifiable data, if used properly, can be very valuable.
While a single test should not be used to determine high-stake decisions or to evaluate a single child in isolation, standardized testing, when done sparingly and with little disruption to class time, can actually present information that can help understand overall patterns and trends in a large group of learners. With this in mind, beginning the week October 6th, MPA will administer the ACT Aspire—a vertically articulated, benchmarked, standards-based test—to students in grades 3–8 and grade 10, and the PSAT in grades 10 and 11. We will use the results in three ways:
• To better inform curriculum design
• To identify discrepancies.
• To better prepare students for the testing component that the college process inevitably entails.
Curriculum and assessment that is designed to teach for understanding and critical thinking coupled with experience with standardized testing provides our students with a solid foundation for their college-bound path. To learn more, please click on the following link that will take you to the Mounds Park Academy philosophy on standardized testing on our website. Question specific to the ACT Aspire testing can be directed to the respective division directors.
