Not all tests are created equal

By Lora Delhom

If the word “assessment” makes you picture a kid sweating over a bubble sheet while a clock ticks menacingly, you’re not alone. But educators and researchers have long known there is more than one way to evaluate a student’s growth, with more than one reason to do it.

In a document published by the National Council of Teachers of English, the Standards for the Assessment of Reading and Writing offers a framework for understanding how assessments should (and should not) be used. First released in 1994 and revised in 2009, the report remains a vital resource for parents, educators and homeschoolers alike.

At its core, the NCTE standards emphasize that assessments must be fair, purposeful and used to support learning. In a time when testing often drives instruction, these standards remind us that assessment is not a one-size-fits-all tool.

Three kinds of assessments
Most parents are familiar with standardized assessments, the kind used to compare students across classrooms, districts or states. These tests, like the Stanford Achievement Test, the Iowa Assessments or MAP Growth, are nationally normed and often used in homeschool settings to provide outside verification of student progress. But according to the NCTE, these are only part of the picture.

“While standardized tests may offer broad snapshots of achievement, they do not always reflect the richness of a student’s reading or writing abilities,” the report notes.

Formative assessments, such as running records, reading logs, writing journals and teacher observations, are ongoing and used by educators to inform instruction in real time. These tools are especially helpful in individualizing instruction, as they can highlight a student’s specific strengths and struggles long before a grade or test result is issued. These are the tests that teachers are most familiar using on a daily or weekly basis. They are a teacher’s best friend (or possibly their worst enemy) during many districts’ response-to-intervention (RTI) processes.

The third type, summative assessments, measures cumulative learning at the end of a block, unit or term. These might include final essays, portfolios or presentations. These are meaningful products that show what a student knows and can do and are generally what homeschoolers prefer to use heavily.

Click on each image for full view and clear reading.

Assessment should support instruction, not replace it.

A central theme of the NCTE’s guidelines is that assessment should arise from the curriculum, not dictate it. “Assessment must reflect what we value about reading and writing,” the report says. In other words, if we value creativity, comprehension, voice and critical thinking, then our assessments should measure those things. That may sound obvious, but in practice, it is often inverted. A school might adopt a writing test that rewards rigid formula over original thought or a reading test that measures speed rather than application.

For homeschoolers and small schools, the flexibility to select or design assessments that align with educational values is a major advantage. It also places responsibility on the teacher or parent to understand what assessments are actually telling them.

Context matters
The NCTE’s standards include several ethical considerations. For example, assessments should account for a student’s background knowledge, language development and cultural identity. No assessment is neutral, and none should be treated as such.

Let’s repeat that for the administrators in my past who treated them thusly: No assessment is neutral and none should be treated as such.

That is particularly important in communities like ours, where family histories, cultural ties and lived experiences shape how children read and write. A child might score below grade level on a national reading test yet show profound comprehension in conversation or when reading culturally familiar texts.

More than a score
“Assessment is not a number; it’s a conversation,” the standards remind us. At their best, assessments should guide teaching, support students and communicate growth.

This school year, many families in Washington County will be making decisions about curriculum and accountability, especially those homeschooling or supplementing with private instruction. As a parent or teacher, asking how and why we assess is a good first step.

It is not just about what our children know. It is about how we see their potential and how we make space for them to show it.