Standardized Testing

Conceptual Considerations and General Perspectives on Standardized Test as Method

Assessments in education include both quite unformalized practices not reflecting any kind of standardization and very formalized practices such as standardized testing. The standardized test differs from other kinds of testing and assessments in that it is designed in an attempt to secure that any aspect of it is or can be handled in uniform ways regardless of the context, the test taker, the test giver, the test score evaluator, and so forth. Thus, standardized testing is characterized by strong framing. The test and its results can be adapted to fit dispersion in a norm group of test takers consisting of a representative population group. This population group forms the standard against which test results are corrected. An example of this could be corrections according to the bell curve. Using this method means that the distributions of test takers to different groups are defined in advance; thus, the stratification of them. However, it also means that the test taker's score is dependent on both the individual performance and the performance of the norm-group to which the result is compared.

The strong framing reflects an attempt to keep control on any variable in the test that might influence the results; however, framing also serves different purposes. One is related to testing as a strong tool to keep control on content in educational settings. Another is related to an attempt to make results comparable, to provide objectivity of the assessment in a way inspired by the natural sciences, to eliminate subjectivity, and to provide apparent justice, and so forth.

Standardized testing has a fixed design to make sure that test takers are engaged in the same activities: answering the same questions and solving the same problems or task. Then tests are scored following pre-described criteria. This creates testing conditions that are almost identical for everyone. The procedure concerning the test situation as a whole might be influenced by its standardized nature, as well. Time frames can be very precisely defined, and the same goes for procedures concerning the presentation of the test to the test takers and the collection of it. For instance, the administrators might be expected to read preformulated phrases at certain times during the test to try to make sure that anyone taking the test was instructed exactly the same way.

Standardized tests used in educational settings encompass a variety of designs, including different types of questions or tasks and possible ways to put the answer. Some of these designs are an oral or written test, a test with fixed options or open-ended questions, a test that includes complex problem solving, or assignment work. The design of the test will more or less strongly frame the answer. Multiple-choice tests most strongly frame the character of both questions and answers. However, the opposite goes for open types of assignments that involve the possibility to interpret questions in a more personal manner and allow for an individual choice for the content of answers. The stronger the framing, the less the scoring is assumed to imply the subjective judgments of an assessor. But that does not mean that the strongly framed test is free from bias. Subjectiveness will show itself in any choice made for the design of a test, its content, or ways of answering.

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