Big Benefit or Big Business? – Student Standardized Testing

Education has changed drastically in Tennessee over the last 30 years and the recent move to the Common Core Curriculum has been deemed the new direction of public education in more than four dozen States across the Nation. With the change in curriculum has come another change in student testing. Students across the Tennessee will take both the TCAP and the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career). In addition, the Tennessee legislature has dictated that every student must take an examination in grades 8, 10 and 11 to determine a student’s readiness to enter college or career. High School students must also complete end of course exams in ten subject areas. With the amount of testing across the State on the rise, standardized testing has become big business. According to the Tennessee Department of Education, the combination of TCAP and PARCC exams this year is estimated to cost nearly $25 million dollars. In addition, the State will pay an additional $1.8 million dollars for every 11^th grade student to take the ACT, which is considered one of two college entrance exams. They will also pay $566,000 for the Explore test and nearly $700,000 for the Plan test, both of which are part of the ACT three test package that is used in Tennessee schools. Combined, Tennessee Department of Education spends more than $3 million dollars annually with the ACT testing company, in addition to the estimated $25 million for the TCAP and PARCC exams, Pearson, who also provides the end of course testing for high school students, will make another estimated $10 million dollars annually. Not including other, smaller spending amounts for testing, the State of Tennessee Department of Education is estimated to spend between $35 and $40 million dollars per year on standardized testing. Questions have arisen regarding the validity of such an extensive level of testing, particularly for those students that do not plan to attend college. The three tests provided by the ACT (formerly American College Testing) company are designed to improve and measure college readiness. Students in the 8^th grade will take the TCAP, PARCC and Explore test this year. Tennessee is one of a handful of States that require end of course exams for high school students. Those students will also take the Plan test and the entire 11^th grade student body will take the ACT exam. The total tab for testing has increased Statewide this year due to the addition of the PARCC exam. Because the PARCC does not provide assessment in every subject area, students will also take the TCAP, raising the financial stake by around $5 million dollars, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. The TCAP, PARCC, End of Course Exams, Explore, Plan and ACT tests are all required by the State of Tennessee.