Inquiry Project Reflection

Throughout my inquiry research, I learned a lot about standardized testing in BC. The abundance of published materials online show the amount of debate and opinions on this topic. The BCTF, the Ministry of Education, the Fraser Institute, the media, parents, students, and the public all have reasonable arguments for and against standardized testing. The polemic of the BCTF seems to be one of the most prominent voices, and the trend in BC in the last couple of decades does appear to be heading in the direction of lower-stakes assessments (no longer count toward grades or considered in post-secondary admissions). However, the government has held firm that standardized testing is necessary, and does not appear be willing to stop using the data for ranking schools. Further research into the standardized testing practices of other provinces and countries, seem to indicate that BC has a relatively low number of standardized tests, and that our assessments are relatively low-stakes.

For my inquiry 2 project, I would like to continue research into the validity and development of the FSA/GNA/GLA. Neither the BCTF's claims that the tests are unreliable, nor the government's claims that the tests are useful for evaluating and improving the education system appear to be backed up by strong data. How do researchers measure the validity of tests? How are the test questions created and who writes and vets these questions? Is the testing method supported by research?

The first part of my research did turn out as I expected because I have heard the BCTF's arguments repeated every time exam time comes around, and the arguments for standardized testing are quite straightforward and also often heard in the media. This debate has been going on for a long time without much progress made for either side. I am interested in learning more about the research and the attempts to quantitatively address this issue.