Forty Years of Public Opinion on Standardized Testing (c) Richard P. Phelps
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Transcript of Forty Years of Public Opinion on Standardized Testing (c) Richard P. Phelps
Forty Years of Public Opinion on Standardized Testing(c)
Richard P. Phelps
(c) 2003, by Richard P. Phelps
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
Number of studies, 1965-2002
Respondent groupTeachers,
administratorsPublic, parents
Public opinion polls 13 (5%) 232 (95%)
Research studies (evaluations, surveys)
56 (73%) 21 (27%)
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Items on standardized testing in national polls, by year
Year
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 +60 pp●...knowledge in 5 core subjects +80 pp●...problem-solving skills +74 pp●...ability to write a clear composition +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? +90 pp(MOR '85)
●...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 high-
stakes requirements
Among Education Providers (i.e. teachers, administrators, etc.)
Multiple polls and surveys, 1978-2003
Support for...Number of
Polls Mean pp dif
...high school graduation test requirements
26 34.3
...grade-level promotion test requirements
5 38.4
Summary of public opinion on high-
stakes requirements
Among Education Consumers (i.e., public, parents, students, etc.)
Multiple polls and surveys, 1958-2003
Support for...Number of
Polls Mean pp dif
...high school graduation test requirements 33 47.3
...grade-level promotion test requirements 23 45.3