Standardized testing has been used in public schools in the United States since the 1840s when written tests began replacing oral exams. Major developments include the first statewide standardized test in Iowa in 1929 and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in 2010. While standardized tests are controversial, they can be useful for comparing student and school performance across large areas as well as identifying strengths and weaknesses to guide improvement efforts. Effective classroom assessments include both informal techniques like minute papers and one-sentence summaries as well as formal standardized tests. A balanced approach to assessment is important for student learning and evaluation.

1. The Importance of Standardized
and Informal Assessments
Allison V. Eubanks

2. History of Assessments in Public Schools
1840-1875:
Formal written
tests begin to
replace oral
tests.
Pre Civil War:
Externally
mandated written
exams assess
student progress
1890:
Common
entrance exam
proposed
1914
National
Education Assoc.
Endorses new
forms of
standardized
testing
1917:
Army develops
group intelligence
tests
1929
First major
statewide testing
for high school
level
2000:
New
standardized
tests join the
ACT and SAT
2001:
Standardized
testing is over
150 years old.
2010:
Common Core
State Standards
released for
adoption
History of Standardized Testing in the United States, 2017; A Brief History of Accountability and Standardized Testing,

3. History of Assessments in Public Schools
● 1890
○ Charles W. Eliot, Harvard President, proposed a system in which common entrance exams would be given and
would be accepted over a vast array of colleges and universities as opposed to hosting testing at individual high
school levels and then submitting them to the undergraduate level.
● 1917
○ During World War 1, the most significant amount of school testing occurred due to the Army creating a group
intelligence scale and intelligence tests.
● 1929
○ The first major statewide standardized testing occurs at the highschool level across Iowa. It was initiated by
the University of Iowa.

4. Uses of Standardized Testing
● While there is much controversy on state mandated testing, there are many factors that
cannot be ignored that show growth from these assessments.
○ Comparison across vast areas (schools, counties, states, nationally)
○ Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of learning systems and the ability to
pinpoint areas of improvement
○ Evaluation of progress
The Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing; Campbell, V. (2017)

5. Uses of Standardized Testing Continued
● Comparison across vast areas
○ Schools are able to compare themselves to other schools in their area as well as worldwide to compare strengths and
weaknesses of their particular learning systems. Through this they can also give or get insight depending on the data
collected.
● Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of learning systems
○ Schools can evaluate the areas that they excell and the areas where they struggle in order to alter their curriculum or
any other factors that may be hindering their school’s growth in the future.
○ They are also able to pinpoint areas of improvement and build on those areas in the years to come.
● Evaluation of progress
○ Data that is collected based off of standardized testing allows schools to go back and see the progress that they have
made. It also allows schools to pull individual students and show them how their scores have changed, and what areas
they may need to work on in preparation for their next set of tests.

6. A Balanced Approach to Assessment
● Assessment Techniques in the Classroom:
○ Minute Paper
○ One-Sentence Summary
○ Application Cards
○ Student-Generated Test Questions
Classroom Assessment Techniques (2008)

7. Minute Paper Technique:
● The minute paper technique allows students to reflect on what they have learned that day
or in that particular lesson unit.
● The paper should be completed at the end of class.
● This method is used to show students what they have learned while at the same time,
allowing the teacher to collect data on student comprehension of a given subject.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (2008)

8. One Sentence Summary
● Who, What, Where, When, How, Why?
● The purpose of a one sentence summary is to answer these simple questions.
● The purpose of this exercise is for students to decipher the most important information
from a text or resource that they are given.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (2008)

9. Application Cards:
● Application cards are used at the conclusion of a lesson.
● Students will write down scenarios of how to use the knowledge that they have gained in
a real-world situation-- applying it to their everyday life.
● This in turn allows the students to make the connection from lesson to life and to see the
bigger picture and understand the importance of that lesson.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (2008)

10. Student Generated Test Questions:
● When students generate their own test questions they are given the opportunity to review
course topics, to review what they have learned, and to reflect on what they understand
about a given area.
● This technique also allows students to see what would be good areas to test on, increasing
their success on future tests.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (2008)

11. References
A Brief History of Accountability and Standardized Testing. https://wac.colostate.edu/books/testing/chapter1.pdf
Campbell, V. Winter 2014. The Facts on Education: What is the Value of Standardized Testing?
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275969734_The_Facts_on_Education_What_is_the_Value_of_Standardized_Test
ing
Classroom Assessment Techniques. 2008 https://library.gwu.edu/utlc/teaching/classroom-assessment-techniques-cats
History of Standardized Testing in the United States, 2017 http://www.nea.org/home/66139.htm