Ah, I’m sure everyone remembers those awful reading tests we were forced to take in grade school where we would go to the library and see how quickly we could read a passage within the allotted time. I remember well how much anxiety these would give me as a child, as the perfectionist in me worried that I would mess up or that I would be below my reading level for my age. However, beginning in 3rd grade, I vaguely remember that every time I would go through this testing, I would leave being told that I could proficiently leave at an 8th grade reading level at the least. However, as my friends around me were told that they were more or less proficient, it brought me to wonder, how are they able to set standards for what one should read like at a certain age? How do the companies that make these tests not only determine what levels of proficiency are, but also how do they create what is supposedly equal opportunity testing for everyone? In my opinion, it is absolutely not feasible to make these a level playing ground for everyone, as how fast one can read a paragraph about some random study does not necessarily determine their level of literacy. For me, I never felt that I read beyond the level of my fellow peers, as many of my friends were testing at 8th grade and beyond as well. Which also brings one to question, if that many students are far above the level of proficiency at a certain age, is that really the level of competence that standardized testing should be holding them to? Also, how is it fair to bilingual elementary school students to simply test them on their proficiency reading in English alone? Overall, I think that there are many complications with how we test students for language proficiency in our public school system. I don’t think that one simple timed test written in English serves as a fair measurement for all literacy levels of elementary students. Thoughts?
When I was in grade school, I started failing the reading proficiency tests and my mother was really worried and confused. She told the teachers that I read all the time and they knew that too, because I often got in trouble for sticking my nose in a book instead of paying attention. So, what was happening?
Apparently, I was at such a high reading level that I answered what were meant to be quick, simple questions with overly complicated answers. I was giving them details and information that they were not asking for, which caused my answers to be marked wrong. For the record, this isn’t me trying to humble-brag, but I agree that reading proficiency tests might not be very accurate. In fact, many standardized tests are criticized for being biased, inaccurate, and a waste of time. Many people also accuse these tests as problematic ways for measuring student’s learning levels as teachers are then forced to “teach to the test” and not coach their students in critical thinking or questioning the world around them. I have posted some links below.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/04/19/34-problems-with-standardized-tests/?utm_term=.358c6f34cf92
http://harvardpolitics.com/united-states/case-standardized-testing/
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/05/the-problem-with-standardized-tests-in-education