Voluntary National Tests Would Improve Education
By: Marshall S. Smith, David L. Stevenson and Christine P. Li
From: Educational Leadership, March 1998
Exercises: J. Geffen
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1.
At Crestview Elementary School, 4th grader Ashley reads voraciously and
independently about fishing in the Yurok culture, while 8th grader Ricky devises and
solves algebraic equations. At Del Mar Elementary School, Melanie struggles to make
sense of her social studies textbook, while Scott multiplies four-digit numbers in his
8th grade mathematics class. Why are Ashley and Ricky developing more advanced
academic skills than Melanie and Scott? Why do schools hold such different expectations for what students can learn? To help ensure that all of America’s children have
the opportunity to achieve academic success in reading and mathematics, President
Clinton has proposed the development of voluntary national tests in 4th grade reading
and 8th grade mathematics.
Why 4th Grade Reading and 8th Grade Mathematics?
2.
Reading independently by the 4th grade is the gateway to learning in all subjects.
By 4th grade, teachers usually stop teaching reading and expect students to have made
the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. As a poor reader, Melanie will
likely experience school difficulties without intensive interventions. She may have
difficulty comprehending mathematics story problems, analyzing literature, and
interpreting historical documents in the higher grades. She is more likely to be
identified as learning disabled, receive lower grades, and not graduate from high
school (Velluntino, Scanlon, and Spearing 1995; Natriello, McDill and Pallas 1990;
McMillan, Kaufman, and Klein 1997). Melanie is not alone. Forty percent of 4th grade
students read below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) and have trouble understanding the overall meaning of what they
read (Campbell, Donahue, Reese and Phillips 1994).
3.
Learning some algebra and geometry by the end of 8th grade is the gateway to
taking challenging mathematics courses in high school and college (Stevenson,
Schiller and Schneider 1994). Having learned some algebra and geometry by the end
of the 8th grade, Ricky will enter high school prepared to study demanding
mathematics. Upon entering college, he will be able to choose from a multitude of
careers, particularly in rapidly growing industries such as information technology.
Even if Ricky does not attend college, his higher math skills will yield benefits.
Richard Murnane and Frank Levy have demonstrated that male high school graduates
with higher math skills who do not go to college earn more than those with lower
math skills (Murnane and Levy 1996).1 However, many of our students do not have
the same opportunities as Ricky. Only 25 percent of 8th grade students and fewer than
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15 percent of low-income students take algebra by the end of 8th grade (National
Center for Education Statistics 1996).
Voluntary National Tests Would Differ From Other Tests
4.
The idea behind the proposed voluntary national tests is not simply to have
another test, but to improve the chances that all children will receive high quality
instruction in reading and mathematics. Unique features of the voluntary national tests
would enable parents and teachers to use the tests as tools to improve education from
the grassroots level.
5.
 Public and independent. An independent, bipartisan board, the National
Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), would develop the tests with extensive public
involvement. The tests would be based on the highly respected NAEP frameworks,
which NAGB also oversees, and which were developed through a broad-based
consensus process. Under the guidance of NAGB, teachers, principals, business and
community leaders, parents, and reading and math specialists would create the test
items. Throughout this process, NAGB would hold public hearings. The tests would
be free of racial, cultural, or gender bias and would make accommodations for
disadvantaged, limited English proficient, and disabled students. In addition, the
National Academy of Sciences would conduct three studies related to the tests. It
would study the quality and fairness of the test items, make recommendations for
practices and safeguards in the use of the test results, and determine if an equivalency
scale could be developed to link commercially available standardized tests and state
assessments to NAEP.
6.
Unlike NAEP, which is not an individual test and is given to a sample of
students, the voluntary national tests would be given to individual students and yield
individual student scores. The tests are strictly voluntary. The federal government
would not withhold funding from a state or local education agency based on its
participation, nor would the federal government receive individual test results. Under
the current schedule, the pilot test would be conducted in March 1999, and the first
field test would follow in March 2000. The first voluntary national tests would be
administered in March 2001, and the government would offer a new version of the
tests on an annual basis.
7.
 Tied to challenging external standards. The voluntary national tests would
measure student performance against challenging external standards of what students
know and can do. The tests would be explicitly linked to NAEP performance levels
and, in mathematics, also the performance scale for the Third International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
8.
The NAEP performance standards are challenging. In cases where states set
performance standards, their standards are generally below the NAEP standards. A
recent Southern Regional Education Board study revealed that in some states, more
than 80 percent of the students are proficient on state assessments, but only 20 percent
or fewer are proficient based on NAEP standards (Musick 1996).
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9.
The results of a standards assessment based on national and international
benchmarks would be powerful tools for local change. With a clear picture of the
performance of their children, communities could better invest their time, money, and
energy in schools. Teachers could target students’ needs and use test results for selfevaluations. Administrators could support the professional development their schools
and teachers need. Parents could choose to become more involved in their children’s
education.
10.  Public release of the tests. Within two weeks of the test administration in
March, the test items, answers, and explanatory information would be widely
distributed via the Internet and other avenues. In May, teachers would receive
individual students’ answers to every test item, along with explanatory information.
11. Before the end of the school year, teachers and parents would know how their
students’ performance measures against high academic standards, and they would
have the tools to help improve their performance. Teachers and parents would have a
clear explanation of what the NAEP standards are and detailed examples of proficient
performance based on these standards. Teachers and parents could address individual
student needs. Educators could evaluate their current teaching materials and
instructional methods and make plans to help their students during the same school
year. Principals and teachers could review the test results to evaluate the effectiveness
of their instructional programs, to plan their summer professional development, and to
mobilize school communities to improve performance.
12.  Rich supplemental information. The annual public release of the tests would
include rich supplemental information that clearly explains the performance standards
and the content area of each item. For mathematics, the content areas include numbers
and operations, geometry, and estimation. Parents and teachers would receive
examples of student work for each item, as well as examples of the work needed to
meet different levels of performance. Teachers would have access to instructional
strategies, research-based curriculum materials, and a sample test a year before the
first administration of the tests.
13. Through the Internet and other means, parents and teachers would have
immediate access to test results and elaborative information. In fact, the power of
technology would give parents and teachers innumerable opportunities to improve
student performance in reading and mathematics. For example, through a Web site for
the voluntary national tests, parents and teachers would be able to request technical
assistance, join networks, access sample lesson plans, view reading lists
recommended by the American Library Association and the International Reading
Association, and learn about programs that provide assistance in improving students’
reading and mathematics skills.
14.  Helping teachers teach challenging content. The tests would provide
educators with tools to teach challenging content. The rich supplemental information
would give teachers a clear understanding of the content areas in reading and
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mathematics. Each year the tests are offered, the content areas would remain the
same, but the items would be different. The tests would not be designed to encourage
teachers to have students memorize items or master testing “tricks”. With consistent
content areas, but new test items each year, the tests would encourage teachers to
teach students demanding content.
15.  National focus. The voluntary national tests would center the nation’s
attention on improving reading and mathematics education. The president and others
would talk about the tests every week for the next two years. This national focus
would help mobilize local communities to improve the quality of instruction in
schools. Business and community organizations could form school partnerships, and
community members could participate in campaigns to improve reading and
mathematics. The Department of Education, with many partners, is already involved
in such campaigns. The America Reads Challenge includes a corps of trained reading
tutors, reading specialists, and tutor coordinators; parental support; and early
intervention for our most disadvantaged children. The Department of Education and
the National Science Foundation have developed an action plan to build public
understanding of challenging mathematics, to help equip teachers with the skills and
knowledge to teach challenging mathematics, and to assist communities in efforts to
implement high-quality curriculums and instructional materials.
16. The voluntary national tests would challenge students to achieve high academic
standards at key points in their school careers. By ensuring that every 4th grader can
read independently and every 8th grader can solve challenging mathematics problems,
the tests would create a foundation for their school careers. If we do not help them
establish this foundation, students from schools like Crestview and Del Mar will be
unequally prepared to enter the demanding workplace of the 21st century. Students
like Melanie will continue to struggle to read, and those like Scott will continue to do
rote computation. The voluntary national tests would give parents and teachers
powerful tools to help all America’s children excel academically, compete in a global
economy, and become responsible citizens in our democratic society. The voluntary
national tests alone would not change American education. But they could help
mobilize local efforts for improvement in two of the most essential basics of
American education: reading and mathematics.
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Note
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For further discussion, see United States Department of Education Planning and Evaluation
Service (October 20, 1997), “Mathematics Equals Opportunity”, White Paper prepared for
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.
References
Campbell, J.R., P.L. Donahue, C.M. Reese, and G.W. Phillips (1994). NAEP 1994 Reading
Report Card for the Nation and the States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government
Printing Office.
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McMillan, M., P. Kaufman, and S. Klein (1997). Dropout Rates in the United States 1995.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Murnane, R.J. and F. Levy (1996). Teaching the New Basic Skills. New York: Free Press.
Musick, M.D. (1996). Setting Education Standards High Enough, Atlanta: Southern Regional
Education Board.
National Center for Education Statistics (1996). NAEP Facts: Eighth-Grade Algebra CourseTaking and Mathematics Proficiency, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office.
Natriello, G., E.L. McDill, and A.M. Pallas (1990). Schooling Disadvantaged Children:
Racing Against Catastrophe, New York: Teachers College Press.
Stevenson, D.L., K. Schiller, and B. Schneider (1994). “Sequences of Opportunities for
Learning,” Sociology of Education 67, 187-198.
Velluntino, F.R., D.M. Scanlon, and D. Spearing (1995). “Semantic and Phonological Coding
in Poor and Normal Readers,” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 59: 76-123.
Voluntary National Tests / 6
Questions should be answered in your own words, in English, unless
otherwise indicated.
Answer the question below in English.
1.
What is the professed intent of national testing (paragraph 1)?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
2.
3.
________________________________________________________________
Answer the question below in English.
What is likely to be the fate of those students – paragraph 2 – who have failed to
attain reading proficiency by the 4th grade?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
Answer the question below in English.
Where in the first four paragraphs do the authors point out the correlation
between socio-economic group and educational achievement?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
Answer the question below in Hebrew.
4.
a) Study the promises and expectations of those sponsoring the National Testing
Scheme (paragraph 5); b) Explain the importance of each of these preconditions
for the success of the whole scheme; c) Are they attainable? Substantiate your
answer.
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
5.
Answer the question below in English.
What information is provided to suggest that some Southern states are unlikely
to welcome standard and nationally administered tests?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
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Answer the question below in Hebrew.
6.
What information is provided to suggest that the test will indeed remain
voluntary rather than compulsory?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
Answer the question below in Hebrew.
7.
What are the underlying assumptions of those favouring nationally administered
tests?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________
Answer the question below in Hebrew.
8.
Do you believe it possible to introduce uniform national testing without
previously making sure that certain basic though not necessarily uniform
materials are taught in all schools?
Answer: _____________________________________________________________