The Effects of Tests on Students and Schools

The development of standardized tests in the United States has produced a situation unique in history. Never before has a society so conscientiously sought to evaluate the abilities and characteristics of its members. Our society has sought not only to evaluate but also to provide each member with opportunities in accordance with these evaluated abilities and characteristics. To implement this policy, the nation has given to the schools the primary responsibility for sorting and training its manpower. The schools have done this by turning to standardized tests, particularly since World War I. Although the use of tests has increased rapidly throughout this cen tury, it has been particularly pronounced in the last 15 years in the public schools. It was estimated in 1954 that more than 75 million standardized tests were being taken by 25 million persons in educational institutions (Wrightstone, 1954). This figure had risen to 100 million ability tests a year by 1961 (Goslin, 1963). More recent estimates of 150 million to 250 million tests a year have been common (Brim, Goslin, Glass, Goldberg, 1964; Goslin, 1963; Joint Committee on Testing, 1962). In view of the fact that there were approximately 45 million elementary and secondary school children during this period, this represents three to five standardized tests per pupil per year. A recent survey of school principals indicated that testing is not an isolated phenomenon; the principals all reported that some standardized tests were given in their schools each year (Goslin, 1967b). Of 714 elementary school principals in the Russell Sage sample (discussed later), only one reported that his school neither had nor had plans to initiate a standardized testing program (Goslin, Epstein, Hallock, 1965). In addi tion, the Coleman survey (Coleman, 1966) reported over 90 % of the nations pupils in schools where intelligence and achievement tests were given at both the elementary and secondary levels. Besides internal testing programs, external testing programs, e.g., the