Interpreting Standardized Tests

What a pleasure to see a front-page headline (Sept. 25) about the perils of using a single test score to make educational decisions! One of the statements most frustrating to teachers is the goal of every child testing at grade level. “Grade level” is a term correctly used to describe a mean test score; that is, half the students tested will score at or above that level and half will score below. If everyone works very hard and improves next year, the test will be normed upward so half test at or above and half below.

Most teachers would welcome a well-devised list of minimum expectations for a grade, and many school districts have developed their own scales. But when it comes to nationally normed standardized tests, there is no way a large district can have everyone score above average. Individual schools and a few small districts may take pride in such scores, but when it comes to entire city districts, it isn’t a reasonable goal.

Only in Lake Wobegon are “all the children above average.”

VIRGINIA LaMASCUS

Covina

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So the school test publishers sent out “faulty data,” “scoring foul-ups” and “scoring flaws.” Am I the only one to see the irony here? Perhaps we should all send them some calculators if they can’t do the math.

FRANCES E. MURPHY

Monterey Park