Making the Grade: The Evolution of Standardized Tests

TABS, TEAMS, TAAS, TAKS, and STAAR.

Just like their names, standardized tests have changed a lot in the last 40 years.

Texas began standardized testing in 1979. Back then, third, fifth and ninth grade students were tested for basic skills in math, reading and writing. By 1986, the Texas Education Agency required students to pass exams to graduate from high school.

"Assessment has been a major component of education in Texas since the late 1980s," said Clark Ealy, College Station ISD Superintendent.

Ealy knows the tests well.

"I was district testing coordinator. I worked daily in testing," said Ealy.

He and other educators say they've noticed a trend that affects your children.

"These tests have been made much more difficult, much more rigorous," said Ealy.

"What's evolved is, not only are the answers more complicated, but the questions are so much more complex. For example, instead of just doing a math problem, you now have equations where you have to figure out which way to solve the problem as one of your answers, not just the answer itself," said Christie Whitbeck, Bryan ISD Superintendent.

Whitbeck says testing is a reality they deal with but she and Ealy wonder why it's designed to be more challenging. Since STAAR testing began in 2012, multiple studies have suggested it's hard for your children to succeed. Questions are written for older grade levels. One study referred to passages in the exam as "problematic for teaching and learning."

So while teachers are not spending time teach to the test, Whitbeck says, "You have to teach kids test-taking strategies that are more complicated."

She and Ealy say they know the stakes are high. Failing some tests means a child is held back. Both say they're confident in their teachers, staff, and students.

"Our goal is to provide the right rigor and the right experiences for our students on a daily basis so that we cover curriculum the best possible way," said Ealy.