Measuring, Assessing, or Just Testing Student Achievement? Evidence From Some States' Testing Programs in the United States

Abstract

Gathering information about student achievement is an essential activity in many education systems. A fundamental assumption underlying that practice is that achievement is measured. This chapter questions whether students’ achievement is measured or just tested. The authors intend to expand our understanding of testing programs. They propose a strategy to gather information about the characteristics of testing programs. The strategy was applied to six states with the largest gains in NAEP mathematics and reading scores from 2009 to 2019. The findings note the lack of information about the process of developing, administering, and technically evaluating tests intended to measure student achievement, and about the impact of those tests on student learning, the quality of teaching, and the educational system. The information collected supports a plea for transparency in testing practices.

Keywords: testing; assessment; measurement; state testing programs