teaching to the test

Common methods of teaching to the test include:

• Test-focused instruction: Specific test-related content is taught, followed by assessments that mirror the standardized test format. This typically involves testing factual recall or step-by-step procedures rather than fostering deeper understanding.{{Cite book|title=The Case Against Standardized Testing|last=Kohn|first=Alfie|publisher=Heinemann|year=2000|isbn=0-325-00325-4|page=8}}
• Skill-based learning: In areas like typing, athletics, or other practical skills, teaching to the test is the primary approach, emphasizing practice and repetition to achieve proficiency.{{cite web|last=Bond|first=Lloyd|title=Teaching to the Test|url=http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/skelton/Teaching/TEACHING%20TO%20THE%20TEST.htm|publisher=Carnegie Perspectives (via the University of Victoria)|accessdate=18 September 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118050604/http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/skelton/Teaching/TEACHING%20TO%20THE%20TEST.htm|archivedate=18 November 2010}}

However, teaching to the test can sometimes misrepresent students' actual learning. For example, students who memorize vocabulary for a reading test may perform well on that specific assessment but struggle to apply the vocabulary in broader contexts. In mathematics, students familiar with test-like questions might fail to apply the same concepts to differently phrased problems. Research by Craig Jerald showed that drilling on specific test items may lead to improved performance on those items but may not translate to broader skill mastery.{{cite web|last1=Jerald|first1=Craig|title=Teach to the Test? Just Say No|url=http://www.readingrockets.org/article/teach-test-just-say-no|website=Reading Rockets|accessdate=9 March 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316120014/http://www.readingrockets.org/article/teach-test-just-say-no|archivedate=16 March 2015}}

The implementation of the No Child Left Behind act in the United States increased the focus on standardized testing, leading to widespread adoption of teaching to the test. This is particularly prominent in schools that depend on government funding, where test scores are a critical measure of success.{{cite journal |last=Volante |first=Louis |date=September 2004 |title=Teaching to the Test: What Every Educator and Policy-Maker Should Know |url=http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/volante.html |url-status=live |journal=Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy |issue=35 |accessdate=18 September 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324153934/http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/volante.html |archivedate=24 March 2010}}

Some critics assert that a focus on test preparation undermines comprehensive education, as time is diverted from exploring moral, aesthetic, or creative aspects of learning.{{cite news|last=Kahlenber|first=Richard|title=The Problem for Low-Income Students|url=http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/what-do-school-tests-measure/|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=21 April 2012|date=3 August 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418222415/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/what-do-school-tests-measure/|archivedate=18 April 2012}} Concerns have been raised that standardized testing is not a fair measure of all students' abilities, as test-taking skills, test anxiety, or language barriers can influence performance.

The practice of teaching to the test may reduce the validity of standardized test results, as scores can be inflated due to overemphasis on test-related content rather than overall subject mastery. Gabe Pressman, a journalist for WNBC-TV, noted that political pressures could lead to adjusting test benchmarks to achieve desired outcomes, potentially distorting true student achievement levels.{{cite web|last=Pressman|first=Gabe|title=Teaching to the Test and Charter Schools Won't Help Kids: Expert|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Uproar-Over-Education---And-a-Warning-of-Corruption-Ahead-89628257.html|publisher=NBC New York|accessdate=21 April 2012|date=31 March 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195401/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Uproar-Over-Education---And-a-Warning-of-Corruption-Ahead-89628257.html|archivedate=3 March 2016}} Additionally, W. James Popham, an emeritus professor of education, argued that standardized tests might not accommodate students from different backgrounds, particularly new immigrants with varied educational experiences.{{cite web|last=Popham|first=James|title=Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality|url=http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:0JeyN6UJ4NMJ:scholar.google.com/+standardized+tests&hl=en&as_sdt=0,15|publisher=Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development|accessdate=21 April 2012|date=March 1999}}

A 1989 study on the ethical implications of teaching to the test identified a range of practices, from broad-based instruction on general objectives to direct use of test items in teaching. The study concluded that ethical boundaries lie between general instruction and the use of specific test formats or questions, suggesting that practices such as teaching directly from released test items are less ethical.{{cite journal |last=Mehrens |first=W.A. |author2=Kaminski, J |year=1989 |title=Methods for Improving Standardized Test Scores: Fruitful, Fruitless or Fraudulent? |journal=Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=14–22 |doi=10.1111/j.1745-3992.1989.tb00304.x}}

• Test preparation courses: Specialized programs focused on improving performance on standardized tests, often involving intensive practice on test-like questions.
• Cram schools: Institutions designed to prepare students for specific examinations through concentrated study and test-taking practice.

Critics of teaching to the test argue that it narrows the curriculum, emphasizing only those skills and knowledge required for standardized tests. This may limit opportunities for students to develop a holistic understanding of subjects, often reducing learning to rote memorization and repetition of isolated skills, a practice sometimes termed "drill and kill." Such strategies are said to restrict creative, critical, and abstract thinking and could diminish teachers' ability to engage students with a broader and more meaningful curriculum.{{Cite book |last=Kozol |first=Jonathan |title=The shame of the nation: the restoration of apartheid schooling in America |date=2005 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-1-4000-5244-8 |location=New York}} Some research also suggests that these methods may not effectively improve test scores as intended.{{cite report |url=http://documents.latimes.com/measures-of-effective-teaching/ |title=Learning about Teaching: Initial Findings from the Measuring Effective Teaching Program |date=December 2010 |via=The Los Angeles Times |url-status=live |work=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216164750/http://documents.latimes.com/measures-of-effective-teaching/ |archivedate=16 December 2010}}{{cite news |author=Jason Felch |date=December 11, 2010 |title=Study backs 'value-added' analysis of teacher effectiveness |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gates-study-new-20101211,0,5216463.story |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times}}

Teaching to the test is also associated with Campbell's law, which suggests that when undue importance is placed on a particular performance indicator (such as test scores), it can lead to distortion of the educational process it is supposed to measure.{{cite book|chapter=A Quandary for School Leaders: Equity, High-stakes Testing and Accountability|chapter-url=http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/users/jvh/Vasquez%20Heilig%20%26%20Nichols%202.28.2011.doc|last1=Vasquez Heilig|first1=Julian|last2=Nichols|first2=Sharon L.|editor-last1=Tillman|editor-first1=Linda C.|editor-last2=Scheurich|editor-first2=James Joseph|title=The Handbook of Research on Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vSKAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA422|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135128432|page=422|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121225918/https://books.google.com/books?id=vSKAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA422|archivedate=21 January 2018}}

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• Washback effect, the general phenomenon which gives rise to teaching to the test
• Overfitting, a similar problem in statistics and optimization problems
• Educational aims and objectives
• Volvo effect

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{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite journal|last=Menken|first=Kate|title=Teaching to the Test: How No Child Left Behind Impacts Language Policy, Curriculum, and Instruction for English Language Learners|journal= Bilingual Research Journal |date=Summer 2006|volume=30|issue=2|pages=521–546|doi=10.1080/15235882.2006.10162888|s2cid=144641891|url=http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Linguistics/people/menken/docs/BRJ30.pdf|accessdate=18 September 2010}}
• {{cite journal|last=Phelps|first=Richard P.|title=Teach to the Test?|journal= The Wilson Quarterly |date=Autumn 2011|volume=35|issue=4|pages=38–42|url=http://wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/fall-2013-americas-schools-4-big-questions/teach-to-the-test/|accessdate=2 January 2012}}
• {{cite journal|last=Phelps|first=Richard P.|title=Teaching to the test: A very large red herring|journal= Nonpartisan Education Review |date=May 2016|volume=12|issue=1|pages=1–17|url=http://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Essays/v12n1.htm}}

Popham, W.J. (2001). Teaching to the test. Educational Leadership, 58 (6), 16-20.

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Category:Educational assessment and evaluation