Why the Tests Must Be Kept Secret
I’ll be giving my third-graders the state test in another week, which means I had to read this year’s testing manual and something called an “Assessment Integrity Guide.” That’s the one that explains how vital it is that the contents of the tests are kept secret. It’s 44 pages of rules, justifications, warnings, and procedures, all with the aim of helping to “establish, develop, and implement a state assessment system that fairly, accurately, and with validity measures Michigan’s content standards.”
Which, as someone who’s given the test many times and knows the reality, is kind of funny, but I’ll get to that later.
Because states want to ensure the validity of the results (or at least, that’s what they claim), they go to great lengths to keep test items from escaping the classroom walls. Ideally, the items are known only to those who designed them and the students who are subjected to them.
That’s a problem.
Right now, the Texas legislature is considering a flurry of legislation introduced in the wake of a Texas Monthly article that reported on a CONTINUE READING: Why the Tests Must Be Kept Secret - Teacher Habits
