It is hard to believe and quite unacceptable that an international exam administered in 56 countries to test standards of math, reading and science was recently found to be flawed. No, not tests in the other countries, but tests in America administered by the Department of Education and printed by a consulting firm. It seems that the reading portion of the test was inaccurately lined up with correct page numbers, questions and texts. Education organizations across the board are thoroughly upset about the issue that could have easily been caught if anyone in either the Department of Education or the consulting firm proofread the test.
This international exam is administered every three years to assess and compare students across the world. It is highly important that the results are accurate to provide our country and others with their next steps in education policy. What is disheartening is the fact this type of error has been done on various standardized tests including the SAT’s and the state math and reading tests under NCLB.
To me this is a prime example of why American education has fallen behind other countries in the past years. It is because of the inconsistent and almost careless acts of education officials who seem to take data and research way too lightly. We need data to understand where American students are, how they can learn better and where they can possibly end up. So why are these mishaps and proofreading errors happening? Shouldn’t a handful of people be tasked with making sure the tests are consistent? With the importance that weighs in on these tests, it does not seem too much to ask.
You can read about this story here.
-Courtney Haynes | Program Associate
0 Responses to “International Reading Assessment Lost”