Question

As a future teacher, I am curious to find out:

How effective are standardize tests in assessing students academic performance or competence?

Answer 1

I have given standardized tests in chemistry. My experience is that they are not reliable as grade indicators; however, they can give a wake up call. I can't speak for other disciplines.

Answer 2

Standardized tests measure only what they purport to measure. For state assessment tests, a few people in the state department of education decide what students should know at each grade level. They then devise multiple-choice type and a few essay questions to assess this knowledge. Each student's scores are then compared to other students of the same grade.

Students who "test well" and/or have thorough instruction in these areas usually do well on standardized tests. Standardized tests do not measure such intangibles as creativity and cooperation.