State exams are often the last test for students winding up another school year, and this again raises the question examined in an Education Week article: Are these exams an accurate metric for determining student performance?
States must test students in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school every spring on reading and math. This mandatory testing comes from accountability requirements established by the No Child Left Behind Act and reauthorized in the Every Students Succeed Act (ESSA) in 2015.
Some educators believe end-of-year state assessments narrowly measure a student’s ability to take a test and represent a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.
Oklahoma is testing how flexible ESSA and these requirements in 2025. The state is exploring how testing can “look different,” says Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction.
Many, in fact most teachers, would applaud that, according to an informal Education Week LinkedIn poll. Eight in ten respondents (84%) believe state testing is not appropriate for benchmarking student learning. Only 5% believe state testing accurately measures student learning.
Some teachers want to see less weight put on year-end tests. Some claim state testing is only a marker of how well a student can memorize and perform under pressure.
Here are some of the anti-testing LinkedIn responses about state exams:
- Standardized tests only consistently prove one thing… children in poverty don’t test as well. Take the testing money and invest it into the classroom. Smaller class sizes, personalized instruction, and social services support.
Rachel L.
- It’s a test of endurance more than anything. This is just one example of what is wrong with standardized high-stakes testing.
Marsha L.
Other respondents were more positive about the usefulness of testing to evaluate schools, rather than individuals, and some said the assessments ensure specific groups, such as English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income households, do not fall behind.
- It does not do a good job of evaluating individuals. However, longitudinally over time, it can show trends in different educational systems and their effectiveness in different areas.
Adam S.
- It is a snapshot in time. It should be used as a benchmark to adjust curriculum, teaching, and learning.
JoAnn C.
Other educators see state testing as one data point among many to measure how a student is progressing.
- State tests are designed to bring the bottom up. They make sure students can write an essay and do algebra and geometry. I said somewhat because some students do not do well on exams; thus, they should be able to show their learning in different ways. State tests are just one of many ways to measure student learning.
Mark D.
- Has value as one of multiple measures. Assuming the assessments are standards-aligned, they can provide a snapshot at a high level—statewide, regional, institutional. The closer you get to a single student the value declines. Learning is complex, variable, and contextual—your other measures need to account for that.
Jim B.
Education Week
