What Purpose Do Tests

At some time in our lives, we all have had to take tests, whether they were for certification, admissions, or assessment.  We all have also wondered, “What possible purpose do these tests serve?”  In schools, tests are used for many reasons.  Their major purpose, however, is to determine not only how well students have learned but also how teachers have taught.  Administrators, school specialists, and teachers need this information in order to make decisions which will enhance every student’s educational experience and to see to it that all students receive a fair chance of getting the best education.    Reasons for testing range from designing instruction to evaluating an individual student’s progress, and from determining the need for special programs to assessing educational programs.  There are many types of tests which are used for these reasons.

Designing instruction:  Teachers use pretests to help them determine what should be taught to students. The results of a pre-test—questions covering content similar to what will be taught within a given unit or chapter and over the course of a quarter, semester, or year ---often help teachers pinpoint what students may already know and determine what concepts may need to be given greater emphasis.  Pre-tests may also help teachers identify individual students who would benefit from enrichment activities or who may need additional instruction or practice.  Giving tests before teaching a lesson can provide a baseline from which a teacher can measure individual or group progress.

Evaluating student progress:  Teachers give post-tests after a lesson has been taught in order to determine what and how much students have learned.  Teacher designed tests, basal series tests, textbook unit and chapter tests, and district-designed tests evaluating key curriculum components may be given to students.  Results from these tests are also used to determine what grade a student has earned.

Determining the need for special programs:  Some students have learning needs that are different from their peers’ needs, thus they may profit from some form of specialized instruction.  This specialized instruction may include special tutoring programs, Chapter or Title I reading and math programs, or placement in a resource room, inclusion class or self-contained environment.  Types of tests which may be administered to individual students include intelligence tests and standardized or non- standardized academic achievement tests.  Results from direct observations, rating scales, questionnaires, and self-report inventories are also used in determining the need for special programs.  Parents, teachers, and peers may also be asked to provide information about individual students.

Assessing educational programs:  Administrators and teachers often use test results to answer a variety of questions that are specifically designed to evaluate a program.  Such questions may include the following:  Are students in all schools in the district making appropriate progress?  What specific math skills seem to be consistently strong or weak for all six graders in the district?  Has increased access to computers really improved student performance?  What progress has been made using Guided Reading program in our literacy results?  Which method of instruction leads to the greatest gains in social skills?  To answer these and other questions, group achievement tests, state-designed competency tests, or unit or chapter pre-tests may be given to students.  Results from direct observations and informal assessments such as ratio scales and questionnaires are also used to assess educational programs.

In school, all tests are designed so that they give school personnel the most accurate information available to make the best decisions about he education of all children. All in all, while testing is vital to structuring educational programs so that they may best serve the individual student, tests results are not the only criterion used to make assessments.  The best source for a final assessment is the school staff.  The school’s principal and teachers can best address a parent’s concerns or questions regarding test results.  The staff at your school invites you to find out more about the assessment process—and your role in it.

  
Dr. Louis G. Talarico

Superintendent of Schools

“Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”

                                                                                                            ---Plato