The popular African-American 1970s sitcom Good Times aired an episode in October
of 1974 known as “The I.Q. Test.” Those who watch Good Times are aware that Michael Evans, the youngest son of the
Evans family, is the smartest member of the family and one of the most
brilliant students in his school. Hopes were high in anticipation for Michael’s
eighth grade graduation but the family received a letter stating that Michael
would be better suited for trade school. Michael, usually a straight-A student,
earned one of the lowest scores in his school on an intelligence test given to
all of the students in his grade.
Michael did not fail the test because of lack of
ability. Michael deliberately flunked the test as his own form of protest
against a test that he regarded as racially imbalanced. His rationale was that
the exam was "nothing but a white racist test... given by the white
people, made up by white people and even graded by white people.”
For example, one question asked “Which of the following
words best matches the word ‘cup’— ‘wall,’ ‘saucer,’ ‘table,’ or
‘window?’” Michael’s friend Eddie, also
an African-American, chose “table” because in his house, they did not own
saucers to put under their cups.
Sadly, many of today’s minority students still find
themselves in this predicament.
History
The earliest record of standardized testing comes from
China where government job seekers were required to complete examinations
testing their knowledge on Confucian philosophy and poetry. Later reaching the
West, standardized examinations emerged as an easy way to test large numbers of
students quickly as the Industrial Revolution took school-age kids out of the
farms and factories and put them back into schools.
In 1905 French psychologist Alfred Binet developed a
standardized test of intelligence that would eventually be incorporated into a
version of the modern IQ test and by World War I (taking place in 1918),
standardized tests became a standard practice. Aptitude tests were given to
assign U.S. servicemen jobs during war effort.
The most popular standardized tests of today are the SAT
and the ACT. In 1926, the Scholastics Aptitude Test (SAT) was founded by the
College Board, a nonprofit group of universities and other educational
organizations. The original test lasted about ninety minutes and included
questions focusing on basic vocabulary and mathematics. By the end of World War
II, the popularity of the test grew widely and became a standard test for
high-school seniors who wished to attend college.
The modern testing movement began with the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), enacted by President Lyndon Johnson in
1965, which included testing and accountability provisions in an effort to
raise standards and make education more equitable within elementary schools.
Standardized Tests Now: How Do They Affect the Students like Me?
Growing
up as a child in Miami, Florida, one of the most common subjects of
conversation throughout my school, Rainbow Park Elementary, was the FCAT
(Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). The importance of the test was overly
emphasized and we all knew that if we failed the test, we would not be promoted
to the fourth grade where we would later take the writing portion of the FCAT.
I, being the intelligent and ambitious third grader that
I was in 2001, loathed the FCAT. I will never be able to think of enough words
to express my disdain at the time. My reason: The test never asked questions
about the things that mattered to me most. Yes, I was great in math and I
rarely complained when instructed to read a passage, but since my ability to do
basic math and read came almost effortlessly, I wanted to focus on something of
which I did not have full understanding. Even back then, I had a general idea
of who I wanted to become and I knew that the questions asked on the FCAT would
not be much of a contribution to my dreams.
Often times I was the first to finish my work and with
so much idle time, I would get in trouble for singing in class or talking to my
classmates who had not finished their work. My dad repeatedly made jokes about
my report cards throughout elementary school because I usually earned an
“A-1-B” in every subject: an “A” for my work, “1” for my effort, and “B” for my
conduct. He only made jokes because he
knew I wasn’t a troublemaker. I was bored.
Overemphasis on standardized tests leads to a
dumbed-down curriculum focusing one-sidedly on rote skills and ignoring
higher-level thinking. These tests are made up mostly of multiple choice questions
that seldom measure creativity, speaking or artistic skills, or many other
important areas that are necessary for child development. Unfortunately, areas
which are not tested are becoming less and less a part of school, especially
under the pressure of No Child Left Behind.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed in 2001
requiring states to give assessments in basic skills to all students at select
grade levels to receive federal school funding. Facing test-based
accountability under NCLB, some schools have cut or eliminated classes and
resources for many subject areas that are not part of the standards. Since the
law was implemented, almost 71% of schools have reduced instruction time in
subjects such as history, science, art, drama, foreign language, and music to
provide more time and resources to mathematics and reading. The impact of this
reduction is greater in schools that serve low-income youth, particularly
students of color.
Standardized Tests Now: How Do They Affect the Other Students Like Me?
Research has shown
that minorities statistically have lower standardized test scores than white
Americans. The reason for such is because of existing, hidden biases in the
development and administration of standardized tests. Linking the synopsis of the
I.Q. test episode of Good Times, a
study conducted in 2002 showed that sample questions which were answered
correctly by more African-American students were not chosen for use in a standardized
test. Jay Rosner, the executive director of the Princeton Review Foundation who
conducted this study, noted that the questions were not used so the test
results – showing African-Americans scoring lower than white Americans – would
be consistent from year to year.
The statistical fact that African American students generally
score lower than white students on standardized tests, such as the SAT, gives
rise to negative stereotypes about the collective cognitive ability of
African-American students. Although the College Board says that the SAT
measures literacy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in
college, the distribution of average SAT scores by race and family income
suggests that the SAT does an even better job of measuring “access to
opportunity.” Access to high performing primary and secondary schools leads to
high SAT scores that lead to heightened opportunity to attend selective
colleges and universities which leads to greater opportunity. Because, on
average, students of color score lower on standardized college admissions tests
(SAT and ACT), many capable minority youth are denied entrance to certain
colleges or access to merit scholarships, contributing to the racial gap in
college enrollments and completion.
Standardized tests
lead to standardized instruction. That “standardized instruction” disregards
individual differences, needs and cultural variations through a "scripted
curriculum." The scripted curriculum aims to benefit the white, middle to
upper class experiences and cultural practices. According to Dr. Janet E.
Helms, the director of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and
Culture at Boston College, standardized tests are designed to measure “cognitive
skills and information that middle class European-American children are more
likely to have acquired.” Standardized tests can not accurately measure
intellectual merit because racial and gender stereotypes interfere with the
intellectual functioning of those taking the tests. Those tests provide no
social or educational benefit. They do not improve college or employment
readiness leading minority students to fail these tests.
When Did the “Racial Gap” Really Begin?
During the Dark
Ages of Europe, Africa was a thriving continent leading European colonization
in Africa. Before the arrival of Europeans, Africans had already been
prosperous in avenues such as mathematics, architecture, martial arts, and
religion and had spread those practices further east into Asia. After the
European arrival in Africa, history and information began to be monitored by
the Europeans to prevent the Africans from learning. A study known as
Egyptology was introduced by the Vatican in order to make sure there was a screening
mechanism to eliminate the truth that was being excavated that gave more
information about the ancient Africans. Africans were then taught what the
Europeans wanted them to know.
Like the Africans
affected by Egyptology, today’s African-Americans are taught what white
Americans want them to know. White Americans have access to opportunities that
African-Americans do not which gives white Americans access to information that
African-Americans cannot obtain. Although standardized testing was introduced
to the United States during the 20th century, its effects on African
Americans mirror the effects of the European “exploration” of Africa from the
13th century onward.
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