The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools

by Alfie Kohn

Our students are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in American history and unparalleled anywhere in the world. Politicians and businesspeople, determined to get tough with students and teachers, have increased the pressure to raise standardized test scores. Unfortunately, the effort to do so typically comes at the expense of more meaningful forms of learning. That disturbing conclusion emerges from Alfie Kohn's devastating new indictment of standardized testing. Drawing from the latest research, he concisely explains just how little test results really tell us and just how harmful a test-driven curriculum can be. Written in a highly readable question-and-answer format, The Case Against Standardized Testing will help readers respond to common questions and challenges-showing, for example, that:


- high scores often signify relatively superficial thinking

- many of the leading tests were never intended to measure teaching or learning

- a school that improves its test results may well have lowered its standards to do so

- far from helping to "close the gap," the use of standardized testing is most damaging for low-income and minority students

- as much as 90 percent of the variations in test scores among schools or states have nothing to do with the quality of instruction

- far more meaningful measures of student learning - or school quality - are available

Kohn's central message is that standardized tests are "not like the weather, something to which we must resign ourselves . . . They are not a force of nature but a force of politics - and political decisions can be questioned, challenged, and ultimately reversed." The final section demonstrates how teachers, parents, and students can turn their frustration into action and successfully turn back the testing juggernaut in order to create classrooms that focus on learning.

Also available on Audiotape: The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools, read by Alfie Kohn.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Parenting, School

104 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of fourteen books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations.

Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."

Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As if you couldn't guess from the title, this book has a highly political slant against standardized testing (I just happen to agree with it). Kohn makes a clear and practical argument against standardized testing. He does not argue that the tests should not be used at all but, rather, that they should not be used in the high-stakes ways in which they are.

The argument is presented in a very conversational format where he responds to questions as if classroom teachers were inquiring about these issues. In the end, he offers practical action steps for teachers; however, some are highly political and likely not within the comfort (or realistic) zone of novice teachers or teachers in school systems where people are being laid off for budget cuts.

It is a worthwhile, easy, quick read for anyone seeking arguments against the ways in which school systems are using standardized testing.

[ندا · Rating 3 out of 5]

قرأت الكتاب بترجمة: خالد بن عبدالرحمن العوض، مقدمة المترجم ممتازة وتختصر فكرة الكتاب.
الكاتب يعيد ويزيد في نفس النقطة وهي عدم جدوى الاختبارات المعيارية في قياس مستوى الطلبة الفعلي، وأتفق مع الكاتب في كون الاختبارات تستهلك جهد الطلبة بدون تحصيل علمي كافٍ!
جذبني الكتاب؛ بسبب تكاثر الاختبارات المعيارية -في السعودية- حتى في إتاحة فرص وظيفية، الناس في المجمل الأعم يعتقدون أن الاختبارات هذه تحدد "الذكاء" بينما أرى أنها قد تكون اختبارات تتبع أنماط معينة.
في فترة استعدادي لاختبار القدرة المعرفية، كان أحد المدربين يضع صيغ رياضية صحيحة كفكرة خاطئة في القراءة وكان يقول: "ما بيهمش تحط أقواس أو لأ، المهم تحلها بالترتيب ده" وكنت وقتها أرى خطأ الصياغة عندما يتداولها المتدربون؛ ولكن لا أرى جدوى التصحيح!

عندما تخرجت "توقعت" أن أتجه للتدريس نظرًا لكون تخصصي غير مقبول في سوق العمل، وعندما استفسرت من بعض الطلبة عن كيفية الاختبارات والشرح لمادة الرياضيات، انصدمت أنه يتم تلقينهم الحل لا تعليمهم الفهم!

خلال دراستي الجامعية، كان الأساتذة يهتمون بما سيأتي في الاختبار. كنت في بداية مسيرتي أجتهد في التوسع خارج النطاق حتى وجدت نفسي أخسر الدرجات التي هي معيار تقييم الأساتذة لي.
عندما طلبت توصيات من أساتذتي كان "معدلي" هو الفيصل في كتابتها. ويا لخيبة الرياضيات إن كانت تقاس بمدى صحة الجواب أكثر من المفهوم.

لم أُقبل في أي مدرسة للتدريس؛ بسبب أن تخصصي ليس تربويًا، وقُبلت مبدئيًا في عدة شركات كان من ضمنها شركة للتأمين وإدارة المخاطر. في المقابلة الشخصية -كانت جماعية سألنا المسؤول: "ما الذي يمثله تخصصنا كرياضيين؟" وعندما بدأنا بشرح ما الذي يمثله تخصصنا قال المسؤول بكل صفاقة: "بس هذا وش يفيدني في طور تداخل التخصصات" كأننا نحن الذين قررنا التخصصية الجامعية!

الفوضى الحاصلة من الاختبارات المعيارية، والاختبارات الجامعية التي تحصرنا في منهج محدد إن خرجنا منه كفرنا، وسوق العمل الذي يطالبنا بالتعددية .. عدم اتساق كل هذه الأمور أدت إلى نتائج مزرية أستطيع أن ألمسها من مجرد مقابلة فرد جامعي لا يفرّق بين معنى "التحيز" و"الحياد".

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short, quick read and terrifyingly accurate look at what standardized testing has done to education and learning in our schools.

[Michael Winfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book and worth a read!

[Nick Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alfie Kohn is simply brilliant. Hope we begin to see some of these ideas transform our public schools.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all. He comes off as very reasonable and educated. The arguments sound , well reasoned with evidence. covering every aspect of the issues.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the reasons standardized tests are bad. It doesn't go far enough though. The whole teacher/student hierarchy should be abolished

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about as extreme as you could get for an anti-standardized testing book, but kt may be what's needed.

Any brief (66 pages of prose plus another 40 in footnotes and sources) entry that attempts to argue against the main aspects of standardized testing will involve some generalities and simplifications. Indeed, Kohn does this quite often, and it's for this that I take off one star. Occasionally distracting, I would hate for this to be the only reading one does on standardized testing and for them to believe that they now understand it. Just one example: current norm-referenced standardized tests do not rank all of the students that take the tests against one another directly. Instead, they are ranked against a "norm", or a sample that establishes the percentiles for ranking students as they complete the tests.

Again, this does not undermine the powerful argument Kohn makes for eradicating standardized testing from education. Furthermore, this was a fun and engaging read. I also appreciated the solutions proposed by Kohn, even if some were too extreme for a young teacher in a profession that isn't exactly stable.

Quick read and worth your time to better understand just how problematic this issue is for our schools. Just know it's not quite the complete picture.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written more than 10 years ago, and is strangely prophetic, considering all that we teachers see daily with AIMS and benchmark tests and all the rest.

None of this particularly blew my mind or changed my opinions, since I was inclined to agree with Kohn anyway (if you've already read The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards", then none of this will be new), but it's a good, concise statement of, well, the case against standardized testing if you want to help convince someone else.

[William Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my distaste for Kohn's stance on abolishing homework, I found myself agreeing more with him on this one. This book was great because it offered a writer-reader dialogue that truly helped you think about the various aspects of testing. I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with points made throughout the book, which made for a good read. There are some generalizations and opinions that could have been left out, but that's what makes his book debatable. Kohn doesn't convince me that all testing should be done away with, but I'd certainly agree that standardized state testing has its troubles.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked at the publication date of this book before buying it because I wanted to read something recent, but I probably should have read some reviews because it's an abridged version of a book he wrote in 1999. Still, the arguments are as valid today as they were then. It's in question and answer format which not only makes it a quick read but provides talking points for those who oppose standardized testing. Sadly, he predicted boycotts and protests that have not happened. Instead, it has gotten worse. This is an issue that will need to be taken up by parents and those not working in schools. I think it is too dangerous for teachers to risk their jobs.

[jessica wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preaching to the choir here but I wanted to read it to see if it was put forth fairly. I think the questions worked well as pot stirrers but it was a wee bit over-handed in the scare tactic realm. Still, I fully believe in the value of reading this title. I'm quite against them tests, I am. If you are a parent or are raising children in the states, please read this. I hope there is an updated version soon.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some interesting ideas but most of it wasn't anything new. It was probably on the frontier of critical commentary when it was written but 12 years is a long time. I felt like a lot of the very important content was underemphasized for fear of scaring off more moderate readers than myself.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but valuable argument against standardized testing. If you're skeptical (or curious) about just how bad this testing and accountability movement is for our students and our schools, this is the book to read. Also a good resource for activists in this struggle.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right on Alfie! Standardized tests are ruining our schools. I see it first hand. Teachers, like myself, are spending a lot of time and effort preparing for these tests. WE HAVE TO, our whole career is tied to these tests.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kohn makes a strong case for reducing the amount of standardized testing in schools. I agree with most of her arguments and alternatives such as more authentic assessments and more time for instruction.

[Raleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does this book lay out a great critique of standardized testing, but it also explains was that you can help out in the fight against what's destroying our education system.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid case against standardized testing, although I am not quite brave enough to stand up to my school just yet in this department...!

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for teachers/educators

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A condemnation and well-reasoned critique of high-stakes testing and the sheer volume of it written BEFORE No Child Left Behind, which made testing a federal mandate.

[Andy Mitchell]

Abridgment of his 1999 book The Schools Our Children Deserve, in Q&A format. A quick read, but nothing new.

[Emsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information regarding standardized tests and what they really are testing for. Woven into all of this is the idea of how learning takes place. Same author who wrote The Homework Myth.

[Eamonn Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thought provoking volume from Alfie Kohn.

[Edith Lueke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The case against No child left behind, for sure!

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous and provocative book. If you care about your kid's education, read it.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

great quick read in a Q & A format on standardized testing.