RAND Survey Assesses Teachers’ Viewpoints On State Standards and Testing

While the data indicates that nearly all teachers support use of state standards in instruction, only a little more than one-third of teachers support the use of current statewide tests to measure student mastery of those standards. The findings from this report have implications for how states and districts can support implementation of state standards and assessments to ensure that U.S. students have the knowledge and skillset for success in both school and life. Secondary teachers and those with more low-income students were more likely to support the state English language arts (ELA) and mathematics standards. Those from these subgroups who did not think their standards were Common Core — were also more supportive of using statewide assessments to measure mastery of standards. Teachers who did not support state tests were more likely to be wary of test difficulty and the accuracy of scores for students with special needs. Recommendations include state adjustments in making sure assessments are closely linked with standards, addressing test difficulty particularly with regard to students with special needs, and developing their own instructional materials to support teachers’ work to address standards.

Kaufman, J. H., Wang, E. L., Hamilton, L. S., Thompson, L.E., & Hunter, G. (2017, October

04). U.S. teachers’ support of their state standards and Assessments. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2136.html