Is there a standard for standardized testing? Four Sketches of the Applicability (or Lack Thereof) of Standardized Testing in Different Educational Systems

Grigorenko, Elena; Jarvin, Linda; Niu, Weihua; Preiss, David

Is there a standard for standardized testing? Four Sketches of the Applicability (or Lack Thereof) of Standardized Testing in Different Educational Systems

Date

2008

Authors

Publisher

Lawrence Erlbaum Associate

Abstract

The issue of the applicability and usability of standardized achievement and aptitude testing approaches in different countries around the world is gaining importance in the context of world globalization. First, more and more people obtain their college and professional educations in places other than their country of birth and/or the country in which they practice their professions; thus, there appears to be a need for a unified metric of some kind that can compare, at this advanced level, the academic aptitude and achievement of competing candidates. Presumably, standardized achievement tests eliminate educational borders between countries as they help to promote educational exchanges by increasing comparability. Moreover, such tests are assumed to help create a universal scale of measurement, which fosters a particular set of skills, deemed important in most developed economies.

Citation

Grigorenko E, Jarvin L, Nui W, Preiss D. Is there a standard for standardized testing? Four Sketches of the Applicability (or Lack Thereof) of Standardized Testing in Different Educational Systems. In: P.C. Kyllonen, R.D. Roberts, & L. Stankov,editors. Extending intelligence: Enhancement and new constructs. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate; 2008. p. 157-182.