Benchmark Testing: Uncovering the Inequitable Reality Behind the Myth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Influences and Outcomes: Examining Equity and Trends in Measurements of Student Achievement

Abstract

This study examines the use of benchmark tests in Texas public schools through a quantitative study of 100 school districts using path analysis.The study examines the relationship between a district’s descriptive characteristics and the number of benchmark tests they require.The number of benchmark tests a district required was also compared to the percent of students passing the state required 8th grade math and reading assessments. This study found districts with certain characteristics and student populations were more likely to use benchmark tests. This study also found a small, insignificant, and negative relationship between the number of benchmark tests a district required and the percent of students passing the state tests.

Authors

• Karen D. Jones, East Carolina University

• Sarah Nelson Baray, Texas State University

• Larry R. Price, Texas State University