TOW #18 - Standardized Tests

            “Why Standardized Tests Don’t Measure Educational Quality” was written by W. James Popham and published by ASCD.org. Popham is a professor at UCLA in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. For almost 30 years, Popham has been teaching at this school. At UCLA, Popham has won many teaching awards. W. James Popham is a former president of the American Educational Research Association, and he is the author of over 20 books. In this particular article, Popham argues against standardized tests by saying that they are unfair assessments of comprehension.

            This article argues is geared towards the average American, showing them why standardized tests are not as good in practice as they are in theory. Support for American education is based pretty heavily on test scores. Funding goes to schools that, on average, get higher scores. Wissahickon High School, for example, is considered the number one school in the state based solely off of test scores. We could have terrible athletics or an un-diverse student body. None of that matters, however, as long as the standardized test scores stay up. With students stressing out every year over PSSAs, Keystones, SATs, or ACTs, it can be hard to remember that other things matter as well.

            Popham used ethos to prove himself as an author. By quoting facts and statistics from research studies, the average reader is inclined to believe what he has to say. In describing a study from Michigan State University, he said, “Between 50 and 80 percent of what was measured on the tests was not suitably addressed in the textbooks.” By using statistics, Popham proves himself as an author. Any person could complain about standardized tests, but people will be more inclined to listen if they give valid arguments. In addition to ethos, Popham used humor. He wrote, “T test developers are obliged to create a series of one-size-fits-all assessments. But, as most of us know from attempting to wear one-size-fits-all garments, sometimes one size really can't fit all.” By using humor (it’s true, but still funny), Popham encourages people to be against something without sounding like a negative person.

            The purpose of this text is to argue against standardized assessments. The author did achieve his purpose because he inspires people to think about the downsides of standardized testing.