At the beginning of the 20th century standardized tests were created to ensure that success was based on a person’s abilities rather than his social status. The original purpose of standardized tests was noble and helped to ensure an opportunistic America. While in the beginning standardized testing served a purpose in creating an equal America, today the tables have turned.
According to James Kunen’s article, The Test of Their Lives, high-stake states have taken on a very significant role in the education of students. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, students are bombarded with these high-stake tests. Hundreds of standardized tests are designed to measure everything from the qualifications of a school to what college a student should attend. Amongst many of these tests is the TAAS which is a test that all students from Texas must take before exiting high school. This test acts as a factor that decides which students receive a high school diploma.
While this test is not the sole decider for graduation rates, it plays an important role in the future of Texas graduates. According to Kunen, while most standardized tests have been stripped of biases within the context of the test, inequalities still exist. In 1997 results showed that 7% of Hispanic and Black seniors did not pass the state TAAS while only 2% of the white population failed. So the question is what does this mean? Well, Kunen suggests that,
“Low TAAS scores, for example, have not been shown to correlate with the inability to do a particular job”
He goes on to explain that standardized tests neglect the abilities of students to work cooperatively as well as think creatively.
As I was reading this article I began to reflect on the types of schools in which low test scores are reported. Typically, a low functioning school is not supplied with the proper materials or teachers. Traditionally these schools rest in the inner cities where the majority of the population is minorities. Therefore, I began to wonder if there is a correlation between low test scores and inadequate educational services for minorities. Money goes to the schools that perform the best on standardized test and when inner city schools are not reaching the par, they fall further behind. Kunen’s article brings up a compelling issue about the inconsistencies in standardized tests results. I believe that this is something that needs to be considered and questioned. There is not doubt that inequalities exist. The statistics support it. Therefore, steps need to be taken in order to change these results. I believe that qualified educators as well as adequate services need to be given to all schools in order to tighten the gap between the performances of whites and minorities on high-stake tests.
“The Test of Their Lives”
By: James S. Kunen
20 October 2008
As the article stresses as well as you, I believe non-biased testing doesn’t exist. It is almost common sense, in this era, to assume that schools lacking proper tools, facilities and educators will perform more poorly on standardized tests. In fact I have a perfect representation of this. As a high school student I attended St. Joseph High School, however across the River was another high school called Benton Harbor. With close proximity to one another you would assume that the two schools have more similarities than differences. However, not only are these two schools like night and day these two cities couldn’t be more different than syrup to a star. St. Joseph, not known for their football team, was a school that consistently had students scoring high on test. On the other hand in Benton Harbor the attendance rate fluctuated constantly, if parents didn’t feel like waking up and taking their child to school that day they didn’t. Thus learning was nearly impossible for the average student in Benton Harbor, leading to their lower test scores. Now the key issue that you brought up pertaining to minorities scoring lower is supported by the twin city phenomenon. In a time when schools should already have been integrated, the twin cities are lagging behind. The majority of St. Joseph’s race consists of Caucasian middle class, whereas the majority of race in Benton Harbor consists of African American lower class. It’s alarming to realize how un-standardized most standardized tests have become and it’s an issue that must be addressed.
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