Standardized Testing History: An Evolution of Evaluation

Standardized tests have long been used to assess and measure student learning. These tests are those in which every student is given the same set of questions and graded similarly to determine whether students are proficient in targeted material or not. Since its inception, this method of evaluation has promised great benefits to students and institutions alike as student's skills can be quickly evaluated on a standard scale, and schools can use this data to develop a plan to improve student growth and remediate any who scored below expectations.

Psychologists who helped establish these types of exams such as France's Alfred Binet and the United States' Lewis Terman, helped advance our understanding of how individuals think and learn.  Despite the concerns that standardized testing led children down predefined educational paths, it has remained a popular method of evaluating talents and performance because of its objectivity and efficiency, serving as a model to acquire suitable research for use to design research based strategies to improve student success.

Early History

In 7th century Imperial China, administrative job seekers participated in the first documented standardized examinations.  Based on an "eight-legged essay" structure, the examinations were widely used until 1898. They examined applicants' rote-learned understanding of Confucian philosophy.

The Industrial Revolution in the Western world brought in a drive to reintroduce school-age farmhands and manufacturing employees to the classroom.

Horace Mann, an academic visionary, developed the idea of written assessments instead of yearly oral exams in 1845. Mann's objective was to identify and replicate the greatest teaching techniques so that all students may benefit equally, according to Carole J. Gallagher in a 2003 piece for Educational Psychology Review.  The new assessments were to establish a "single standard by which to measure and compare the output of each institution" as well as collect objective data on teaching quality. School districts around the country quickly copied Boston's concept. However, the standardized testing revolution didn't truly take off until much later, becoming an integral part of how the modern educational system operates.

Over time, standardized testing evolved to become more efficient and effective at assessing student understanding and comprehension. Frederick J. Kelly, a Kansas school head, designed the Kansas Silent Reading Exam (1914-1915), the first known published multiple-choice test. Kelly devised the exam to save "time and effort" when administering and scoring it.  

Reynold B. Johnson is a teacher and inventor known for inventing the earliest commercial computer disc drive. IBM engaged him to build a production replica of his prototype test scoring system in 1934. The IBM 805 assessed answer sheets by identifying the electrical current running through graphite pencil markings, which was introduced in 1938 and sold until 1963. As modern scanners' optical mark recognition (OMR) technology can read markings produced by pens and pencils similarly, the usage of No. 2 pencils for tests is due to legacy.

History of the Modern Era

In the modern era, US presidents have launched initiatives that were heavily reliant on standardized testing.

• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

As a component of his "War on Poverty," President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. The US Department of Education launched this initiative to address a variety of flaws with the American educational system. The goal was to raise testing standards and make education more egalitarian.

• The No Child Left Behind Act

In 2001, George W. Bush launched the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This aimed to deepen education reform and advocate for state-mandated standardized testing to better measure student learning. NCLB would significantly impact how states obtained funds for their programs. If students didn’t score well enough on the tests, government representatives would be sent to the district to attempt to enforce modern, so-called "better" techniques.

• The Every Student Succeeds Act

The Obama administration issued the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which still mandated that schools administer standardized exams to students from grade three to eight but provided more flexibility for schools to do so. Although accountability measures were still a part of ESSA, instead of being prescribed by the federal government, ESSA required states to create their own accountability plans.

Regardless of the policy of the president’s administration, standardized testing permeates many aspects of student life.  At present, a student's ability to win scholarships, get admission to institutions, or even proceed through elementary and secondary education highly depends upon standardized testing.

Standardized Testing as a Useful Tool

For many reasons, standardized tests continue to be an important part of the education system.  Like any tool, there is an opportunity for misuse, but when used properly, standardized tests can be invaluable as a standard for determining student competency.

Standardized tests are impartial – there are no subjective aspects in the grading.  Each response is judged according to whether it meets pre-established criteria for success. Since the results are scored electronically or through a third party, there is no bias toward any individual student as assessors only have the submitted responses for evaluation.

Standardized testing provides a universal standard for achievement that is easily comparable, helping to inform institutional effectiveness in a highly efficient manner. For these reasons and more, standardized testing continues to be a widely utilized tool in evaluating students, teachers, and learning institutions.

The Bottom Line

Standardized testing has been widely utilized in the United States and is an integral part of the educational system.  Since its inception, improvements to standardized testing have made the administration and scoring of assessments more efficient. In addition, legislation has solidified the place of standardized testing as a key evaluative component for schooling.  Although there are detractors and critics about the use of standardized testing, the objectivity, impartiality, and efficiency of standardized testing ensure their use will continue to be an important part of assessing progress.