Forty Years of Public Opinion on Standardized Testingc

The vagaries of opinion poll data for use in research Polling is episodic Polls are often implemented quickly while a topic is in the news, leaving little time to pretest and edit items Pollsters are often unfamiliar with a topic and, as a result, can pose questions based on naïve or inaccurate assumptions There are two types of sampling error and pollsters often tell you about only one of them

Possible indicators that a poll is of low quality Poll does not publish its response or cooperation rate Data collection lasted only a few days (better polls will use at least a week) The pollsters can often be seen as pundits on television news talk shows

Respondent groups in public opinion polls and research surveys

Pollsters pay more attention to testing when there's a national testing proposal under consideration ● ● ● George H. W. Bush's national testing plan (1990 -92) Bill Clinton's “Voluntary National Tests” (1997 -99) George W. Bush's “No Child Left Behind” testing requirements (2000 -02) ➔ (6 polls) +52 pp avg ➔ (6 polls) +48 pp avg ➔ (14 polls) +57 pp avg.

What should tests measure? Should they be required? Favor or oppose requiring standardized national tests to measure. . . the academic achievement of students ●. . . knowledge in 5 core subjects ●. . . problem-solving skills ●. . . ability to write a clear composition ● +60 pp +80 pp +74 pp +75 pp Favor or oppose making these tests optional for districts? +37 pp i. e. , +23 pp prefer required over optional tests

How should tests be used? Do you think tests should be used to. . . (PDK '97). . . identify areas in which student need help +76 pp ●. . . to rank the local public schools +39 pp ●. . . to determine if a student advances to the next grade +28 pp ●. . . to determine the level of funding school receives -18 pp ●. . . to determine how much teachers should be paid -14 pp ●

Steadfast in support of graduation exams Should students be required to pass tests to graduate? (MOR '85) +90 pp . . . if your child failed the first time? +86 pp ●. . . if your child did not receive a diploma? +68 pp ●. . . if 20% of low income students did not receive a diploma? +55 pp ●

Summary of public opinion on highstakes requirements