Asata Bamba

Bamba 1

Ms. Henry
English Composition 101
20 October 2015
How Accurate Is the English Portion of Standardized Tests in Measuring One's Literacy Level?
There has always been the common misconception that if you excel with everyday
assignments in English class when it comes to taking standardized tests you will also excel. For
some people, they like to think of this as a going hand-in-hand type of thing. However, studies
have shown that this theory is not correct. With many factors going into the tests: the grading
system; if there is a time frame to read, answer comprehension questions, or write a
corresponding essay; and the difficulty of the test in comparison to the normal classwork, the
results that each student will have can totally vary. So, with that being said, how accurate is the
English portion of standardized tests in measuring ones literacy level?
Depending on where you are located, different cities or entire states have different
standardized tests. Now, the English portion of these tests may or may not reflect how well one
performs in that corresponding class (English). Sarah Garland, from the Hechinger Report,
interviewed an education professional and a panel of parents who were noted to opt their
children out from taking standardized tests. Vice President of the National Council on Teacher
Quality, Sandi Jacobs, says, The tests dont actually measure the skills that we want students to
learn, such as critical thinking, creativity, and complex problem solving The tests arent
reliable measures of how much students know and how well teachers can teach (Garland).
Three Reasons Students Should Opt out of Standardized Tests - and Three Reasons They

Shouldn't - The Hechinger Report." Overall, the comments made were suggesting that the
standardized tests are not really made to benefit the young scholar, but in fact it was made to
somehow make the school or educators seem extremely intelligent.
On the opposite side of the yay or nay for standardized tests spectrum, some are viewing
standardized tests as a positive thing. In an article elaborating on the pros and cons of
standardized tests, it said, standardized tests are not narrowing the curriculum, rather they are
focusing it on important basic skills all students need to master. According to a study in the Oct.
28, 2005, issue of the peer-reviewed Education Policy Analysis Archives, teachers in four
Minnesota school districts said standardized testing had a positive impact, improving the quality
of the curriculum while raising student achievement. (Kavips). The quality of the curriculum is
way more advanced than what the students have learned or are learning. The excerpts that the
students must read are dull and they are not given as much time as they should to do it. Then for
the comprehension questions to go along with the reading, they are so outside-the-box and for
most, it is way too advanced for testing. For the writing portion, there still might not be enough
time given to write the essay that the test is asking. So for the end result, students do not score as
well that they have the true potential to. These thoughts factor into why the English portion of
standardized tests do not accurately measure ones literacy level.
Standardized tests are said to have their primary purpose being to challenge students at a
higher-than-normal level to see if they will be able to make the school or district maintain a
positive reputation. However, these high-stake tests may be affecting classrooms. This can be
said that standardized tests can alter how you operate in English classes in comparison to the
English portion of the test. Several testing experts have published cautions about the possible
negative effects of high-stakes testing, including such things as a narrow, test-driven curriculum

and highly stressed students. (Kavips). This means that a student who is known to normally
perform well in the English course may not do well in during a standardized test for English
because there is a great chance that stress and other factors would prevent the student from doing
their best.
Overall, I believe that the English portion of standardized tests do not accurately measure
ones literacy level. Things like the difficulty for the test, how much time is there to complete it,
the amount of questions, and the grading scale all factor into how much more intense these tests
are, so they are not natural ways to study the students performance. Unless there are some
changes made that could benefit the student and his/her abilities a little bit more, English
portions of standardized tests do not accurately measure ones literacy level.