The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 17, 1980, Image 5
>hi 3a H ducation THE BATTALION THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1980 Page 5 ATTENTION ids may get help on tests from union lar UR United Press International This is the year kids taking Itaiularclized tests by-guess or by- losh get sympathy in a big way — Jncl maybe some help. For starters, the 1.8 million Member teachers’ union, the Na- lionaj Education Association, will viug the bat in a year-long cam- haiga against what it considers Ibuses of standardized tests. The batting order also includes Ither education and consumer Iroups urging Congress to pass a |ruth-in-testing law aimed at curli ng abuses and giving consumers nore information about the tests be- bre they take them — and after. Ralph Nader, who has been on Biis issue for years now, is still cry- |ng alarm. He said at a recent con- erence the College Board’s own re- «arch indicates a direct relationship etween standardized test scores kncl family income. That is, the |iigher your parents income, the ligher your score. Nader referred to research which Indicates private coaching improves ores on the Scholastic Aptitude [Test (SAT), used as a door-opener to olleges and scholarships. Consumer advocates and |educators claim this gives students vhocan pay for cram courses an ad vantage over those who cannot. This sdvantage is used by many prepar- ng for tests for admission to law, business and medical schools, too. Attacks on what they consider ner-reliance on standardized tests ire under way by teachers and civil lights groups from Maine to California. At the same time, how ever, more tests seem set for launch. Nearly 40 states have man ned minimum competency testing programs for promotion and gradua- m. The rub: how can competence lie Ineasured — without standardized ;ests? Standardized tests most ofteii are multi pie-choice types. The system, or some students, is by-guess or y-gosh. Scoring usually is by a machine that “reads’ underlining, Trcles, or X marks on an answer iheet. Nader said teachers are upset at the downgrading of writing in soci al and by reliance on multiple- :hoice tests. The standardized tests decide »ho is placed in classes for the men tally retarded, who gets into col lege, who can become a teacher or a lawyer and who gets the schol arship. The testing industry, feeling the heat, isn’t happy alxiut losing out to consumer groups after it already battled truth-in-testing legislative proposals in New York and Califor- a. The multi-million dollar industry, led by giant Education Testing serv ice (ETS) in Princeton, N.J., prom- earlier to give more test-takers backgrounding before they sit for tests. Also voted by the testing industry was a way to file for further informa tion after a test is taken, a consumer right mandated by law in California and New York — and bound to be included in any federal truth-in testing law. Every six years since 1947, the ETS’ income has doubled. At latest count, the non-profit unit took in $94 million a year, mostly fees from test takers. The “NEA Reporter,’ updating school teacher members on the status of the controversy and its bat tle plans, states teachers want more accountability from the testing in dustry, and less secrecy. By the end of this month, says the “NEA Reporter,” every NEA local association president will receive an information kit promoting truth-in testing legislation and community awareness of standardized test abuses. “NEA strongly supports testing and rigorous assessment of student performance, ’ the NEA Reporter said. “However, NEA rejects tests that emphasize competition against a norm rather than educational goals." MSC Town Hall Option Pass holders! Priority period to purchase tickets for DEATHTRAP Mon. Jan. 14 — Thurs. Jan. 17 Tickets not purchased at this time will be released for sale to the general public. 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