Why is this test so important?

It’s that time of the year again… The sweet smell of blossoms fills the air, wildlife meanders about, plucking grubs from the grass, and bees come out of hiding, rushing to embrace newly-bloomed flowers like long-distant relatives. As the calendar turns, students, parents, and educators begin diligently preparing for testing season. Students review content, learn about the process of elimination, eat a well-balanced breakfast, and race to hit the pillow before their bedtimes. Parents pray that the academic investments they’ve made over the past 9 months (the time it takes for a baby to grow, so why not a mind?) will produce high returns in the form of scaled scores, national percentile rankings, and grade level equivalents. Educators brace themselves as they anxiously await the annual ritual of evaluation—their students’ test scores will be graded, rated, and disaggregated, their effectiveness reduced to numbers. 

Despite ongoing debates about the effectiveness of standardized tests in their ability to provide an accurate, holistic profile of students’ abilities, many districts continue to rely on these assessments as the sole instrument for measuring and tracking academic progress. As both a scholar and practitioner in the field of educational leadership and policy, I find myself torn between multiple competing perspectives about standardized testing. On the one hand, these tests have unveiled the my riad of opportunity gaps that continue to plague the nation’s public schools, illuminating the need for amore fair distribution of academic resources to students who have been historically marginalized. This has led to many good-faith efforts by districts to work towards closing opportunity gaps and ensuring that all students have access to high-quality curricula. 

On the other hand, the structure, content, and format of standardized tests have faced numerous critiques for lacking cultural relevance and exhibiting inherent cultural biases. Simply put, these assessments are designed for some students to excel and for others to fail (Kendi, 2019). Students who belong to groups that are perpetually on the low end of the “achievement gap” and are further subjected to deficit-framing through the media, school, or society may experience elevated testing anxiety in the form of stereotype threat. Studies show that, even if minorities are equally preparedas their non-minority peers, exposure to stereotype threat often leads to lower achievement (Steele & Aronson, 1995). I worry about the nation’s lack of attention to this phenomenon and the barriers preventing schools and districts from addressing testing anxiety through targeted support for students of color. 

This begs the question: How does a culturally conscious parent, caregiver, educator, or school leader respond to a young person who asks: Why is this test so important? A fair question, indeed. How does one celebrate a young person’s ability to question the value society places on standardized assessments while honoring their opinions and respecting their choices, and yet, in the end, conclude this riveting dialogue with, “but you still have totake the test”? 

During my time as a teacher, responding to this question was difficult. Knowing what I knew about the history of standardized testing, particularly as it relates to perceptions of Black and Brown students’ abilities, I would struggle to craft a response that acknowledged this harmful history without undermining school and district testing initiatives. In these moments, I was reminded that my students deserved an earnest response. I took this question as an opportunity to build critical consciousness and counter any deficit thinking with affirming, empowering statements.    

To that young person:

1. You are not your scores. You must understand this. Your standardized assessment results are just one thread in the complex web of strengths, talents, and traits that make you a unique and special being. As such, only a collective, holistic view of your performance across all areas of your life can paint an accurate reflection of your progress. That test won’t show how kind you are, it won’t boast your creative genius, and it certainly will not illuminate your ability to make others smile. In a world that craves human connection and individuality, the idiosyncrasies that make you who you are are more valuable than gold. Also, comparison is the thief of joy. Noone can be better at being you than you. 
2. It doesn’t hurt to try your best. If the assessment is required, why not give it your all? What is there to lose? The test simply provides you with information. You can use that information as a starting point to become more curious about your performance and keep track of how you are evolving. Focus on the assets you bring. View any gaps in performance as exciting opportunities for growth.
3. The test is as important as you want it to be. You are the driver of your learning. What would you like to celebrate about the way you have poured into yourself this year? Have you improved your ability to focus? To think critically? To finish each section? Perhaps you better understand who you are as a learner. Did you go back and check your answers this time? Have you gotten better at annotating your responses? Set a goal for this year’s assessments, and prepare to celebrate your growth, as defined by you. 
4. Your voice matters. Critique the assessment preparation process and the assessment itself. It is only through the constructive feedback and persistent advocacy of our predecessors that assessments and preparation processes have evolved over the years. As you prepare for the assessment, share feedback with your teachers about what has been most or least helpful for you. Politely offer suggestions on how to improve the process. As you complete the assessment, meta cognitively reflect on what is going well and how the test could be improved. Are there questions that are easier to understand? Do any of the online tools present challenges? Do you notice any evidence of bias in the content, language, or structure? Share this feedback with your teachers and school leaders, or locate online evaluation forms and surveys on your state education website. 

In sum, the test is not important. You are. Those results are meaningless without the love, compassion, and joy you bring when you live in your truth and show up as your authentic self. What is most important are the things that cannot be measured. Your opinions and experiences are valuable, inspiring, and unique. We invite you to share them liberally. Bask in the beauty of your impact. You have already changed the world. 

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Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. New York: Random House.

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personalityand Social Psychology, 69(5), 797–811. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.69.5.797 

This article was crafted by Dr. Tawheedah Abdullah, an independent contributor engaged by CheckIT Labs, Inc. to provide insights on this topic.

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