History of Standardized Testing

1838

This was the first period of time where educators began articulating ideas of how to translate their learnings into testing to measure ones students success.

1838

1890

Proposed by the Harvard President, Charles William Eliot, was a system of common entrance exams given by each school that aligns with college and university admissions. These standardized tests included essays on nine subjects.

(Stacker, 2022)

1890

1900

Education tests begin growing at a rapid pace, with 1,300 achievement tests available. These tests measure intelligence, athleticism, mental capacity, vocational skills, and many more. Along with these, statewide tests are significantly growing.

1900

1917-1920

The military begins their form of standardized testing known as aptitude tests. Army testing during WWI boomed the biggest expansion of school testing. Arthur Otis designed an exam (IQ test) that could be administered for groups of people, which would be more beneficial than testing individuals. By 1920, The World Book publishes more than half a million standardized tests.

(Pearson Education, 1995)

1917-1920

1926

Founded by the College Board, the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) were implemented nationwide. The original test lasted 90 minutes and had over 300 questions covering basic vocabulary and math. This test grew by the 1930's and grew into the form of testing we see today.

1926

1965

During President Lyndon B. Johnson's term, he introduced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as a cornerstone of the "War on Poverty" This policy was signed into law on April 9, 1965 and was to be carried out every 5 years with the appropriate revisions each term. "This law brought education into the forefront of the national assault on poverty and represented a landmark commitment to equal access to quality education" (Social Welfare History project, n.d).

(Social Welfare History Project, n.d)

1965

1969

There were many critics of ESEA, including President, Richard Nixon. He signed the laws amendments that included Title II funding for programs for refugee children and children residing in low–rent public housing and Title VI was dedicated for education for the disabled. Another critics of this law was a writer at Phi Delta Kappan, a journal for educators, that this law had many issues including race. How segregated schools could not participate in these education funds, and how the financial aid was being dispersed to wealthy states. There were many unfair disadvantages seen underneath the covers.

1969

1984-1988

During the Reagan Administration, a revision of the ESEA introduced bilingual education programming. "Title VI, The Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984, provided financial assistance to states to meet the needs of English language instruction and other bilingual services. Title IV incorporated the Woman’s Educational Equity Amendments of 1984. Title V included the Indian Education Amendments of 1984" (Social Welfare History Project, n.d). The 1988 revision refocused on school improvement and raising academic achievement.

(Education Next, 2009)

1984-1988

1994

There were many shortcomings within many revisions made to Titles of the ESEA. Due to this, the 1994 Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA), attempted to reorganize policies with preexisting efforts at state and local levels to improve instruction for students. These changes included adding math and reading/language arts to assess progress and to hold accountability on the students, reduce school poverty levels, and have more local control of the federal requirements of school improvements.

1994

2001

The No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB) was approved by Congress in 2001 and aimed to hold schools accountable for student achievement. The law now required states to test students regularly on reading and math, as well as accurately report the scores, and ensure that students were meeting intelligence requirements. If schools were not achieving said goals, they were at risk for losing federal education funds.

(Stacker, 2021)

2001

2015

As a response to NCLB, Barack Obama introduced Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This allows for more flexibility with state testing and to reduce these tests. It replaced aspects of the last law to provide the flexibility. Schools now need to adopt college level standards and implement school evaluations.

2015

References

Guthrie, J. (1968, February 1). A political case history: Passage of the ESEA. Kappan Online. https://kappanonline.org/political-case-history-passage-esea-guthrie/

NEA. (2020, June 25). History of standardized testing in the United States. https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/history-standardized-testing-united-states

Paul, C. A. (2016). Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Social Welfare History Project. https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/

Pearson Education. (n.d). Soldiers Taking an IQ Test During WWI. https://wps.pearsoncustom.com/wps/media/objects/2428/2487068/images/img_ah5_p039.html

Rossell, C. (2009, October 29). The Near End of Bilingual Education. Education Next.

https://www.educationnext.org/the-near-end-of-bilingual-education/

Wulfhorst, E. (2021, September 30). A history of standardized testing. Stacker. https://stacker.com/stories/20597/history-standardized-testing

References