Research On The Effects of Group Standardized Testing On Instruction, Pupils, and Teachers: New Directions for Policy

In response to an increasingly "test driven" approach to curriculum and instruction, a growing body of research is documenting the negative effects of standardized testing on instruction, pupils, and teachers. The curriculum has been narrowed to fit the tests, valuable instructional time is spent on test preparation, students are stressed by the preparation and the test-taking, and teachers are pressured to use unacceptable testing procedures which may even include blatant cheating. Students are subjected to instructional methods that provide them with test taking skills but no genuine understanding of the subject matter. Research supports that there is an urgent need for a change in testing policies. Massive standardized testing of young children must be eliminated. More authentic and performance based evaluation such as the development of student portfolios should be instituted. Attention to the negative effects of standardized testing and the elimination of such testing of young children is especially urgent in light of the current discussions centering on increasing the scope of national testing beginning with the administration of a school readiness instrument prior to school entry.