The Pernicious Predictability of State-Mandated Tests of Academic Achievement in the United States

It has long been known that the accurate interpretation and use of standardized test results to make decisions about student academic achievement in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States can be affected by psychometric design elements that result in irrelevant fluctuations in scores among different groups of test takers.  Factors that can lead to misinterpretation of, or patterns in, test results  include mismatches between the selected content of the test and the subject area construct, unclear instructions, complexities in test items unrelated to the construct being measured, inappropriate testing conditions, mismatches between the test takers’ native language and the language used on the test, cognitive or physical disabilities of the test takers, adverse childhood experiences such as trauma, and biased or incorrect expectations or assumptions about the test takers’
anticipated responses.