Running head: GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 1

Global Issues Report:

Placement Testing

Fernando Perez

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

April 29, 2019

GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 2

Abstract

The main topic of this report is how placement test affects persistence in college.
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Global Issues Report:

Placement Testing

How does placement testing affect college graduation rates? Placement test are

sometimes very helpful for students who do well in them making their college persistence las

longer. Placement test are not always accurate and may misplace the test taker affecting its

persistence to continue a higher education since exams and assessments are a big part of the

global education system before and during college.

Discussion

A country is represented by its people therefore countries are rank from best to worst

based on the test scores of their people. According to Rotberg (2006), if a country ranks high on

a given international comparison, people assume that its schools must be “good”; if the country

ranks low, its schools must be “bad” (p. 2). Therefore, if a country has a bad school it must mean

that their scores are supper and the intelligence difference between a higher rank country is very

high. Furthermore, this test might not be accurate since not all test are accurate. Rotberg (2006)

also said, the problem is, international test score comparisons are virtually impossible to

interpret, not only because of enormous differences among nations in poverty rates and in

societal values and objectives, but also because of major sampling problems, which make it

difficult to ensure that comparable samples of students, schools, and regions are being tested

across countries (p. 2). These inaccuracies could cause the persistence of a student to diminish

since their scores are remarkably low.

Exams and assessments are a big part if the education system particularly before going to

college and at college. According to Robert Montgomery (1978), a school with 1,160 pupils aged

13 to 18 in 1976-7 spent £6,527 on public examinations in that academic year. The amount of
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'capitation' money available for running costs in the financial year 1976-7 was about £5,387 for

all fifth- and upper-sixth-formers. This means that the importance of examinations on students is

high because the school was spending more money on giving test to their students than buying

books or other materials needed. If spending that much money will help them get recognition of

a being a good school, then the importance of spending for exams will continue. Another way to

show how good if a school they are is by showing the number of students that went to college.

As shown in figure 3 on average high school student with a 2.9 GPA average shows that as their

ACT composite scores increases the probability of them enrolling at a four-year college increase.

Another way to gain recognition is through advance placement exams. Testing and advance

placement testing relates to persistence in the university. According to Moses (2007), high stakes

tests are used to lend legitimacy to existing cultural practices, particularly when the practice is

validated by experts. Indeed, many of the technical aspects of testing are used as a justification

for its legitimacy and, ultimately, widespread use (p. 64). Therefore, if a student that takes

advance placement test to get ahead or show legitimacy of his knowledge, then the university as

the expert will acknowledge that and let the student continue its studies in the university. By

continuing their studies, the student maintains its persistence.

Test results are the big part of test. They tell if the student did well is he above average,

average, or below average. According to Glynn D. Ligon (1983), in Austin, test scores are used

as criteria for placement in several junior and senior high school courses and for meeting the

districts minimum competence requirement for high school graduation (p. 102). This means that

students while still in high school take test to qualify them to take courses that will advance their

college career. If students do not place well or the test scores do not benefit them, then they

won’t be able to graduate or get ahead. Furthermore, results of these test can show the
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intelligence of the student. Test show that the intelligence of the test takers can be explain by a

normal frequency graph. According to Corning (1926), it is now possible to demonstrate that

measurements of human intelligence conform to the normal-frequency curve, just as it was

previously established that measurements of physical dimensions and ability followed the same

uniform distribution. Using these tests, we know that a few individuals have unusual mental

ability, and a corresponding few have very limited ability, while the great majority of us have

this ability in average amount (p. 4-5). This means that most people intelligence is consider

average while others are below or higher. Therefore, when students take test not all of them pass

because they are not capable. As seen in figure 1 not all skills are measure in placement test so,

even if a student scores suggest that he is below average the other skills may qualify him as a

better student.

Students are never prepared to take test that will tell their level of knowledge and

teachers struggle to help students pass those tests or do well on them. According to Glynn D.

Ligon (1983) the competing claims of teaching the test, teaching to the test, and encouraging

guessing through test wiseness strategies usually attract the most attention when educators

discuss preparing students for standardized tests (p. 21). If teachers really want their students to

pass, then they should engrave in their students that learning is fun and look at them taking test

to prove that you are a good teacher. Many of these unprepared students are from minority

groups. Minorities don’t always have the resources to succeed in education and the way the

system is structured almost always places them at disadvantage. According to Leonard C.

Beckum (1983), another dilemma for schools has been raised by the issue of competence testing.

Initiated in the late seventies, the competence test movement was an attempt to set minimum

standards that students must meet to graduate from high school. In the landmark case of Debra P.
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v. Tarlington, 3,445 black students filed a lawsuit because they failed the Florida literacy test (p.

42). This means that the way the school system for a student to be able to graduate from high

schools gives a disadvantage to minority groups.

Placement test are not always accurate, and they could misplace the test taker with the

results. According to Ryan Lidster (2017), placement procedures can take several different forms

such as interviews, essays, multiple-choice placement tests, or a combination of methods. The

means of evaluating and ensuring the reliability and validity of those procedures depend on their

individual characteristics (p. 358). This means that test takers take several of the test to help

show that the test are reliable and validate the test by comparing the test to each other. Also,

Lidster (2017), to determine the levels into which students are placed, raters compare test-takers’

performances to descriptions of performance standards–sets of characteristics that distinguish

between categories of performance. This demonstrates that a base standard is set to classify the

results of the test. As seen on figure 2 having a great GPA in high school and getting a good

composite score on the ACT are not good ways to determine college persistence and GPA. We

are able to notice that the college GPA drop by .6 points which is more than one standard

deviation away from the mean high school GPA.

Students are not putting that much effort when taking placement test causing the school

system to change requirements for graduation and college acceptance. According to Hoyt (2001),

as a part of the standards movement, states are increasing graduation standards, implementing

mandatory proficiency tests, releasing report cards on schools, and awarding differentiated high

school diplomas, giving some students credit for demonstrating competence in college

preparatory courses based on proficiency exams (p. 32). By schools increasing the standards
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students put more effort into wanting to graduate but graduate with honors when coming out of

high school into college. That will increase their competence when entering college.

Placement test don’t only help to tell students their level of college readiness but also the

college or institution the students wishes to attend. According to The College Board, almost all

two-year colleges and many public four-year colleges require new students to take at least one

placement test when they first get to campus. As well as, community colleges — most of which

admit all students with a high school degree — tend to rely on these tests because their entering

students can have very different skill levels. Therefore, first year students are taking the correct

classes based on their skill level from the placement exams.

Conclusion

Placement test are not always accurate and may misplace the test taker affecting its

persistence to continue a higher education since exams and assessments are a big part of the

global education system before and during college. Although placement test are still not perfect

it is the only way to get a rough estimate of a student’s level and determine if he might do well in

college. This will show great persistence in the student.

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References

Beckum, L. C. (1983). Testing and the minority child. In W. E. Hathaway (Ed.), Testing in the

schools (p.39-47). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b132

4491&site=eds-live&scope=site

Corning, H. M. (1926). After testing-what? the practical use of test results in one school

system Scott, Foresman and Co. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b137

1038&site=eds-live&scope=site

Hoyt, J. E., & Sorensen, C. T. (2001). High school preparation, placement testing, and college

remediation. Journal of Developmental Education, 25(2), 26. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.427750

96&site=eds-live&scope=site

Ligon, G. D. (1983). Preparing students for standardized testing. In W. E. Hathaway (Ed.),

Testing in the schools (p.19-27). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from

http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b132

4491&site=eds-live&scope=site

Ligon, G. D., & Matter, M. K. (1983). A Case Study: Testing in the Austin Independent School

District. In W. E. Hathaway (Ed.), Testing in the schools (p.97-102). San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b132

4491&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Montgomery, R. J. (1978). A new examination of examinations London; Boston: Routledge and

K. Paul, 1978. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b107

3094&site=eds-live&scope=site

Moses, M. S. & Nanna, M. J. (2007). The Testing Culture and the Persistence of High Stakes

Testing Reforms. Education and Culture 23(1), 55-72. Purdue University Press.

Retrieved March 12, 2019, from Project MUSE database

Rotberg, I. C. (2006). Educational Leadership. Assessment Around the World, volume 64, 58-63.

Shin, S., & Lidster, R. (2017). Evaluating different standard-setting methods in an ESL

placement testing context. Language Testing, 34(3), 357-381.

What Are College Placement Tests? (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/academic-life/what-are-college-

placement-tests
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Figures

Figure 1. This table shows key concepts for college and if they are measure by standardized test.
https://www.achievingthedream.org/sites/default/files/resources/Where_to_Begin.pdf

Figure 2. The table shows the mean score of ACT test among a group of students and their GPA
from high school and first semester of college. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1092649.pdf
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Figure 3. The chart shows the probability of enrolling in college based on the ACT composite
score for a student of average 2.9 high school GPA.
https://images.slideplayer.com/28/9394694/slides/slide_43.jpg
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Cloud-Based Formative Assessment

Instructor Comments

CBFA #3 4/20/19 +2
• Three revision sessions since last CBFA; well done!
• Be aware of the page length requirement
• Figures used in paper; well done!

CBFA 4/14/19 +2