In China, it’s true that we try very hard at our studies. This is expected of us from the time we are very young. We all understand that without good scores on the many tests, we will not be able to succeed in life. And by all accounts, we’ve been doing very well. In the latest PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, China-Shanghai has placed first in all three categories tested—Math, Science, Reading.* And we are proud of this, to a degree. However, like many of my friends, we’ve started to wonder why this is important. We spend so many hours, days, weeks, and years preparing for the test that is…how do you say it?…the granddaddy of them all. It’s called the gaokao, and it’s the one test that all students take when they are ready to graduate high school. Everything comes down to this one test! The pressure is crazy. Everyone is trying to get a good score so that, 1. He can go to college. And 2. He can get into a good college.
My essential questions are this: What exactly do the standardized tests, like the gaokao, prepare us for? And, whatever that reason is, is it working? Are we achieving what we were supposed to achieve?? These are questions I would like to explore and discuss with you, my two fellow travelers in my Caravansary.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_student_performance
Good questions. Especially about what the point of standardized tests is. In a video I watched, the panelist at an education conference says that students need to be not only good at the basics, but also must be creative, team players, and problem solvers (“Mckinsey global education,” 2011). Do you think these tests…actually, more to the point, do you think all the work preparing for these tests–is building the skills that the panelist above cites as so important??
Well, as you know from our reading from the Gannon book, Chinese in general are often lauded for our hard work and ethic of following orders dutifully (the people who built the Great Wall, etc. etc.) But there is a professor of education teaching in your country who is Chinese–his name is Norman Eng, Ed.D.–who writes a blog. He has some interesting thoughts on all of these issues. As for standardized tests (especially the gaokao), he writes that China’s fixation on those tests is detrimental in three main ways: 1. It adheres to an old-fashioned rote-style of learning that is incompatible with the more dynamic thinking needed in today’s world; 2. It creates a divide between the haves and have nots and the rural and urban dwellers; and 3. It results in considerable cheating and fraud (Eng, 2010).
So, I don’t think the tests are doing exactly what the test developers want.
From what I’ve read, the three adverse effects you mentioned–rote-style learning; social class disparity; and cheating–seem to follow standardized testing around! I’ve heard of the same things taking place in the U.S. (Joe, isn’t that right??)
There have been high-level cases of cheating by school administrators and instructors in the U.S. over the last few years. The pressure to produce higher test results produces a lot of stress not just on students, but on teachers (whose salaries are often tied to student test performance) and on administrators (whose hopes of gaining federal money as part of the Race to the Top law are directly tied to increased success of students on standardized tests).
It’s hard to imagine any public education system without standardized testing. Realistically, I don’t see a way around that. I would at least like to see the test scores augmented by other assessment types–project-based assignments, for example).
Your comments make me wonder what is perhaps obvious: Do strong test scores mean high economic achievement and social success??
I found a study that addresses this issue by Christopher H. Tienken of Rutgers University. In his 2008 report, he reviewed various countries’ students’ test results in math and science over a 50 year period to see if test results correlated to economic success. His conclusion is as follows:
It extends previous research on the topic by investigating how GCI rankings in the top 50 percent and bottom 50 percent relate to rankings on international tests for the countries that participated in each test. The study found that the relationship between ranks on international tests of mathematics and science and future economic strength is stronger among nations with lower-performing economies. Nations with strong economies, such as the United States, demonstrate a weaker, nonsignificant relationship (Tienken, 2008).
Obviously, this is not the message countries around the globe want to hear. It’s easier to teach to a test and then simply tally the results on a school-by-school, district-by-district, state-by-state, and country-by-country basis.
Of course, the study does show that higher test results have at least some correlation to future economic success among developing world countries, so maybe Nigeria would benefit from this testing.
There is another source that suggests no link between high test scores and economic success. Actually, the author looks at more than just economic success. I’m referring to an article written by Keith Baker, a former researcher for the U.S. Department of Education. The article is titled, “Are International Tests Worth Anything?” He points out that there is evidence that higher test scores by U.S. students do equate with more success in the workplace in the U.S. So it’s assumed that greater success in the U.S. will mean that higher national scores will result in greater global success. He goes on to show that,
for the U.S. and for the top dozen or so most-advanced nations in the world, standings in the league tables of international tests are worthless. There is no association between test scores and national success, and, contrary to one of the major beliefs driving U.S. education policy for nearly half a century, international test scores are nothing to be concerned about. America’s schools are doing just fine on the world scene (Baker, 2007).
Is your head hurting yet?! Eariler, you mentioned that it’s hard for anyone to come up with an effective system of education because of our “rational uncertainty” (Morin’s term). All of this does make it much less certain that all of the time and attention poured into standardized testing is actually worth it. Jan’s initial essential question about whether all of this testing is producing the success we’re hoping for is right on the money (that means exactly right!).
So, on a global level, we’re back to wondering about what qualities , skills, and knowledge will help an individual do well economically in a global economy.
Caravansaries--Cultural e-Exchange 
Hi to my partners!
In China, it’s true that we try very hard at our studies. This is expected of us from the time we are very young. We all understand that without good scores on the many tests, we will not be able to succeed in life. And by all accounts, we’ve been doing very well. In the latest PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, China-Shanghai has placed first in all three categories tested—Math, Science, Reading.* And we are proud of this, to a degree. However, like many of my friends, we’ve started to wonder why this is important. We spend so many hours, days, weeks, and years preparing for the test that is…how do you say it?…the granddaddy of them all. It’s called the gaokao, and it’s the one test that all students take when they are ready to graduate high school. Everything comes down to this one test! The pressure is crazy. Everyone is trying to get a good score so that, 1. He can go to college. And 2. He can get into a good college.
My essential questions are this: What exactly do the standardized tests, like the gaokao, prepare us for? And, whatever that reason is, is it working? Are we achieving what we were supposed to achieve?? These are questions I would like to explore and discuss with you, my two fellow travelers in my Caravansary.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_student_performance
Jan,
Good questions. Especially about what the point of standardized tests is. In a video I watched, the panelist at an education conference says that students need to be not only good at the basics, but also must be creative, team players, and problem solvers (“Mckinsey global education,” 2011). Do you think these tests…actually, more to the point, do you think all the work preparing for these tests–is building the skills that the panelist above cites as so important??
Hi Joe.
Well, as you know from our reading from the Gannon book, Chinese in general are often lauded for our hard work and ethic of following orders dutifully (the people who built the Great Wall, etc. etc.) But there is a professor of education teaching in your country who is Chinese–his name is Norman Eng, Ed.D.–who writes a blog. He has some interesting thoughts on all of these issues. As for standardized tests (especially the gaokao), he writes that China’s fixation on those tests is detrimental in three main ways: 1. It adheres to an old-fashioned rote-style of learning that is incompatible with the more dynamic thinking needed in today’s world; 2. It creates a divide between the haves and have nots and the rural and urban dwellers; and 3. It results in considerable cheating and fraud (Eng, 2010).
So, I don’t think the tests are doing exactly what the test developers want.
Jan (and Joe):
From what I’ve read, the three adverse effects you mentioned–rote-style learning; social class disparity; and cheating–seem to follow standardized testing around! I’ve heard of the same things taking place in the U.S. (Joe, isn’t that right??)
There have been high-level cases of cheating by school administrators and instructors in the U.S. over the last few years. The pressure to produce higher test results produces a lot of stress not just on students, but on teachers (whose salaries are often tied to student test performance) and on administrators (whose hopes of gaining federal money as part of the Race to the Top law are directly tied to increased success of students on standardized tests).
It’s hard to imagine any public education system without standardized testing. Realistically, I don’t see a way around that. I would at least like to see the test scores augmented by other assessment types–project-based assignments, for example).
–Joe
Jan and Joe:
Your comments make me wonder what is perhaps obvious: Do strong test scores mean high economic achievement and social success??
I found a study that addresses this issue by Christopher H. Tienken of Rutgers University. In his 2008 report, he reviewed various countries’ students’ test results in math and science over a 50 year period to see if test results correlated to economic success. His conclusion is as follows:
Obviously, this is not the message countries around the globe want to hear. It’s easier to teach to a test and then simply tally the results on a school-by-school, district-by-district, state-by-state, and country-by-country basis.
Of course, the study does show that higher test results have at least some correlation to future economic success among developing world countries, so maybe Nigeria would benefit from this testing.
Abike (and Jan):
There is another source that suggests no link between high test scores and economic success. Actually, the author looks at more than just economic success. I’m referring to an article written by Keith Baker, a former researcher for the U.S. Department of Education. The article is titled, “Are International Tests Worth Anything?” He points out that there is evidence that higher test scores by U.S. students do equate with more success in the workplace in the U.S. So it’s assumed that greater success in the U.S. will mean that higher national scores will result in greater global success. He goes on to show that,
Is your head hurting yet?! Eariler, you mentioned that it’s hard for anyone to come up with an effective system of education because of our “rational uncertainty” (Morin’s term). All of this does make it much less certain that all of the time and attention poured into standardized testing is actually worth it. Jan’s initial essential question about whether all of this testing is producing the success we’re hoping for is right on the money (that means exactly right!).
So, on a global level, we’re back to wondering about what qualities , skills, and knowledge will help an individual do well economically in a global economy.
Hi Jan.
I posted a proposal on the bottom of my Essential Questions page. Check it out and get back to me!
Abike