I)

HANOI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FINAL WRITING TERM IV

Do standardized tests determine

a student’s level of knowledge?

Teacher: Đặng Hoàng Anh Thư, M.A

Students: Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngọc
Vũ Thùy Linh
Class: 12A-20

Hanoi, May 2022

 A. OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION:

- Background information
- Thesis statement: Standardized tests fail to evaluate a student’s grasp of
knowledge accurately

II. BODY:

1. Counter-argument and refutation:

- Counter-argument: Standardized tests encourage students to attain more

knowledge and establish a universal standard
- Refutation: + There are many other incentives for students to study
+ Universal standard starts from meager usage at first. In Vietnam, a
new test format is gaining acceptance.

2. Argument 1: Standardized tests fail to be objective

- Students can choose the right answer by guessing randomly in multiple-choice

tests
- Students can rule out one or more distractors based on partial knowledge with
the specific options presented
- A minor error in the process is amplified to be wrong on the whole scale
 Right answers do not represent genuine knowledge and wrong answers do not
represent the absence of knowledge

3. Argument 2: External factors can affect test scores.

- An individual’s result on a standardized test can change due to their mental state
at the time
- The socioeconomic position of families holds a dominant influence over
standardized test outcomes
 Tests are heavily influenced by external factors
·
III. Conclusion:

- Standardized tests fail to reflect a true picture of a student's level of knowledge

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 B. ESSAY

Standardized tests have long been the most prominent method to determine a

student's understanding. According to The Glossary of Education (2015, para.1), "a

standardized test is any form of test that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same

questions, in the same way, and that (2) is scored in a "standard" or consistent manner".

However, in recent years, there have been growing concerns about whether these

assessments are valid. The number of American students taking the ACT in 2021 was

the biggest annual drop in history, with a decline of 22% (Nietzel, 2021). Thus, this

essay will outline arguments based on previous studies to support our view that

standardized tests fail to evaluate a student’s grasp of knowledge accurately.

Proponents in favor of standardized tests state that these assessments encourage

students to attain more knowledge and establish a universal standard. They argue that

there is no other competent measurement of a student’s ability. However, W. Harlen

and R. Crick (2003) reported that students could be discouraged unconsciously by

testing practices. Besides, there are many other incentives for students to study, such as

their interest in the subject (Seifert, 2004). Furthermore, the standard for measurement

always originates from meager usage in society. If one educational institution pioneers

a reliable test format, others may adopt that application, and gradually a new

benchmark will be established. In fact, many universities have constructed their own

entrance exams because the standardized national tests do not portray students’ true

qualities. The logical thinking test by Hanoi University of Technology, which consists

of both comprehensive multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and free-response questions,

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has proved to be the new standard with 17 other universities using their test results for

themselves (Tien Phong, 2022). Therefore, the claim that standardized tests provide

students with motivation and credibility was raised without merit.

Despite standardized tests’ ubiquity, these assessments fail to be objective. MCQ

is the most prevalent format of standardized tests (AP Central, n.d). However, they are

only equitable in terms of scoring because they have a correct answer. When it comes

to assessing genuine knowledge, MCQ tests are not accurate due to the possibility of

guessing randomly and their failure to distinguish between partial knowledge and

inclusive knowledge. It is a fact that students have a 25% chance of picking the correct

answer on tests with 4 choices per question. Surprisingly, students have a decent chance

of achieving a passing mark by pure guesswork in tests of two or three choices (Zhao,

2006). Not only can students make a random prediction, they are also able to rule out

one or more distractors based on partial knowledge with the specific options presented.

Dufresne et al. (2002) reported that although 70% of the students chose the correct

answer to one question, only one-fourth of those did so based on the essence of

knowledge. Another research by Reich (2015) substantiated this finding by revealing

that students utilized reading skills and test-wiseness to solve the tasks rather than

applying logical thinking like the test’s intention. Students could take advantage of the

information even on different questions of the same test to increase the probability that

they were selecting the right choice. With MCQs, the answer is selected, not generated,

so "a minor calculation error is interchangeable with a major failure of reasoning"

(Kohn, 2000, para.30). In brief, most standardized tests overlook the process of arriving
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at an answer. As a consequence, right answers do not represent genuine knowledge and

wrong answers do not represent the absence of knowledge.

The second argument against standardized tests’ reflection of understanding is

that external factors can affect test scores. According to the US Fair Test Organization

(2012, para.3), "a test is completely reliable if you would get exactly the same results

the second time you administered it". However, there is unanimous evidence that an

individual’s result on a standardized test can change due to their mental state at the time

that the test is taken. The pressure leading to competitive tests is a major reason for the

gender gap in academic performance, as shown by Ors et al. (2013). In the Program for

International Student Assessment, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD, 2017) reported this notable gender difference with specific

figures. Despite diligent preparation, girls had a 17% greater tendency to feel anxious

before a test, which was detrimental to their results. In addition, students from the upper

class with English as their native language scored much higher than those from the

lower class or those who might have English as a second language (Im et al., 2020). It

can be seen that the socioeconomic position of families holds a dominant influence over

standardized test outcomes.

In conclusion, standardized assessments fail to reflect a true picture of a student's

level of knowledge. Therefore, the education sector needs to acknowledge this issue

and create more comprehensive assessments to evaluate students properly.

(Word count: 815 words)

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