Research + News | Topic: Standardized Tests

Many Children, Teens Suffer From ‘Test Stress,’ Psychologists Say

It’s that time of year when students of all ages face finals, standardized testing and college entrance exams. Read the article here.

High School GPAs Are Stronger Predictors Of College Graduation Than ACT Scores

Students’ high school grade point averages are five times stronger than their ACT scores at predicting college graduation. Read the article here.

More Testing Means More Stress For Teens – And There’s No Solution In Sight

tudents today face mounting pressure not just to get into college, but to figure out how to pay for an increasingly unaffordable education by working or by setting themselves so far apart from their peers that they’re awarded scholarships. Read the article here.

SAT To Score Students’ ‘Disadvantages’ To Try To Even The Playing Field

The College Board has been testing a tool that could give the millions of students who take the SATs every year a score measuring their economic hardships and other disadvantages. Read the article here.

Helping Students Beat Test Anxiety

Fear of failure can prevent students from showing what they know on big tests—but a 10-minute writing exercise can help. Read the article here.

What If Instead Of Taking The SAT You Got To Play A Video Game?

L.A.-based startup Imbellus plans to upset the SAT and ACT’s monopoly with a test it says accurately gauges critical thinking. Read the article here.

Is The Big Standardized Test A Big Standardized Flop?

Since No Child Left Behind first rumbled onto the scene, the use of a Big Standardized Test to drive accountability and measure success has been a fundamental piece of education reform. But recently, some education reform stalwarts are beginning to express doubts. Read the article here.

Does the SAT or ACT Make a Difference in Graduation Rates?

According to a report by the National Association for College Admission and Counseling, there is “virtually no difference in graduation rates for students who submit or do not submit standardized test scores to colleges and universities.”

From the report:

“Does standardized testing produce valuable predictive results, or does it artificially truncate the pools of applicants who would succeed if they could be encouraged to apply?  At least based on this study, it is far more the latter.  In a wide variety of settings, non-submitters are out-performing their standardized testing.  Others may raise the more complex issues of test bias, but this study asks a much simpler and more direct question: if students have an option to have their admissions decisions made without test scores, how well do these students succeed, as measured by cumulative GPAs and graduation rates?”

Read the report here.

Download the full report (.pdf) here.