DeTocqueville's Daughter

Questioning the Answers

By DeTocqueville's Daughter on July 11th, 2010

We know what happens when kids get an answer wrong on a standardized test. But what do we do when the test-makers give the wrong answers?

That’s what Terry Stoops of the John Locke Foundation foundation is asking at Insider Online.

Between February and April 2010, the John Locke Foundation asked over 500 college and university faculty to evaluate selected test questions from North Carolina’s 2008-2009 end-of-course high school civics and economics and U.S. history tests. This study provides an overview of the responses from both the mailed and online surveys.

There were quite a few problems:

Many economists also strongly objected to question six. The question asked students to answer the following question:
6. Which evidence showed that the prosperity of the 1920s was an illusion? (Note: DPI [Department of Public Instruction] answer in bold.)

A. Prices on consumer goods decreased.
B. Overseas investments declined.
C. The income gap between workers and managers decreased.
D. Many people increased their debt.

A respondent pointed out, “The prosperity of the 1920s was quite real. Real GDP rose by about 50% over the period 1920-1929.” Another economist agreed, “Odd question. Was the prosperity an illusion? I don’t think so.” Nearly all comments about this question objected to the premise that the prosperity of the 1920s was an illusion. In addition, economists questioned the use of the vacuous term “prosperity” in this context.

In fact, no respondents believed that the Department of Public Instruction provided a correct answer for question
four. Question four asked students the following:
4. Which action is a civic responsibility? (Note: DPI answer in bold.)

A. Voting in national elections
B. Obeying laws
C. Registering for the draft
D. Serving on a jury

One political scientist commented, “Two or more of the above – according to the commonly accepted understanding of “civic responsibility.” Another wrote, “‘A’ could be considered correct, but is usually considered [a] right rather than a responsibility. ‘ B’ clearly appears to be correct. ‘D’ is correct in our system if and when called and if not dismissed. ‘C’is correct for anyone covered when a registration law is in effect.”

A respondent observed, “[The question] confuses legal requirements with civic responsibility. [One] could reframe around civic “duty” with one being to follow laws and uphold Constitution”…

Stoops concludes:

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) should not be in the testing business. State education officials should replace end-of-year and end-of-course tests with an independent, field-tested, and credible national test of student performance, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Stanford 10, or the California Achievement Test.

It would be interesting to know how many other states are in North Carolina’s shoes.