What is standardized testing?

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	What Is Standardized Testing?

Standardized tests are any tests that are administered and scored in a pre-specified, standard manner where the same questions/tasks are required of each test-taker, the same information is provided to each test-taker before and during the test, all test-takers are allotted the same amount of time for the test, and all responses scored in the same way.

These tests are usually used in large-scale settings, so they are often referred to as large-scale assessments. Standardized testing is one of the most hotly debated issues in education today. One important distinction is whether the test is “norm-referenced” (scoring is based on comparing a student’s score to that of other students) or “criterion-based” (scoring is based on how well the student has mastered the content of the test).

Some have raised serious concerns about the effects of testing, contending that overemphasis on testing leads to "teaching to the test," which makes the actual curriculum shallow, and that such tests disrupt the school year, significantly reduce time spent learning, cause anxiety, etc Others see such tests as a necessary part of standards-based reform and support their implementation. There are many shades of opinion within the debate.