Standardized Tests Are Biased And Hinder Diverse Students

Standardized tests are designed with inherent cultural and linguistic biases, which may hinder performance among certain demographic groups, regardless of teacher expertise.

Gregory Der "pro: Standardized tests are biased and hinder diverse students."

One must look at the history of testing in the United States to understand bias within standardized testing.  Just over 100 years ago, researchers were concerned with the dramatic increase in immigrants into the US and how the influx would affect society.  IQ tests were invented and specialized for the military. Carl Brigham developed the SAT for Harvard as a recruitment tool (Rosales & Walker, 2021).  Brigham based his test on the military’s intelligence test five years earlier, in 1918. He (and others) were concerned about maintaining white superiority and practiced eugenics.  Eugenics is the erroneous scientific theory that human qualities such as intelligence and social behavior are inherited through genetics (NHGRI, 2022). 

 

When the foundation is blatantly racist, it is time to rebuild a process for determining students' academic potential.  Every step should be carefully analyzed to eliminate any potential bias.  Differentiated assessment processes must become a top priority.  The objective should be to promote accurate assessments that reveal the range of student learning and skills, including creativity, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration (Rosenberg, 2020). 

 

Ethnic minorities, ESL learners, poor test takers, and nearly everyone except (possibly) the test-creating industry would benefit from a complete overhaul of student assessment.  They would probably find a way to make money on the reboot too. 

References

NHGRI. (2022, May 18). Eugenics and scientific racism. National Human Genome Research Institute. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Eugenics-and-Scientific-RacismLinks to an external site.

Rosales, J., & Walker, T. (2021, March 20). The racist beginnings of standardized testing. NEA Today. Retrieved August 8, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/racist-beginnings-standardized-testingLinks to an external site.

Rosenberg, G. (2020, September 22). The racist and classist roots of standardized testing found a home at Stanford — and they still endure today. The Stanford Daily. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://stanforddaily.com/2020/09/22/the-racist-and-classist-roots-of-standardized-testing-found-a-home-at-stanford-and-they-still-endure-today/