State standardized tests are administered annually to determine student and teacher performance, with material determined by the US Department of Education. Tests cover reading, writing, social studies, math, and science, with some states offering course-specific exams for high school students. These tests are necessary for federal funding and may or may not reflect overall grades.
State standardized tests are unique to all states and are administered annually to determine how well students are learning the curriculum for each specific grade. The US uses standardized state tests to determine and allocate federal funding for public schools. States can choose to structure and administer their tests as they see fit, and generally contract the development of these tests to private educational companies. This type of test is usually only administered for grades spanning kindergarten and twelfth grade.
The purpose of this type of test is to set academic expectations at the federal level for student performance and teacher performance across the country. The material covered during the end-of-year test is determined by the US Department of Education. Schools and teachers are informed of the content to be covered by the exam, but do not receive individual questions or answers about the tests. They have a little bit of creativity in preparing lesson plans that teach the specified information and are encouraged to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the course materials.
All states conduct a year-end achievement test, unique to each grade for public school students. The end-of-year test is named after the state that offers it, such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, the Virginia Learning Standards, and the New England Common Assessment Program. These exams test each student’s skills in reading, writing, social studies, math, and science. Individual county school boards have the option to impose additional expectations on their local students. Some choose to develop standardized tests that are administered quarterly to all schools located in a given county, in addition to the federally mandated annual test.
Some states offer standardized tests specific to each course when students reach high school. These exams include questions about more course-specific knowledge, such as geometry, algebra, chemistry, and biology, rather than the broader ranges of math and science covered on school tests. State and individual counties can determine at a local level the weight of a student’s performance on these types of tests.
All state standardized tests must be completed by all students registered at a specific school for that school to be eligible for federal funding during the following budget year. A student’s performance on these tests may or may not reflect their overall grades. In the state of North Carolina, for example, a student’s performance on their End of Course Test contributes 25% of their overall grade and is used to determine whether they graduate. In Georgia, students need only complete these tests to graduate, and their scores are not averaged in their course evaluations or used for graduation purposes.
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