The changing relationship between post-secondary outcomes, standardized test performance and state college-readiness standards

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Rethinking Constructs and Measurement: Insights from Empirical Evidence

Abstract

Through access to the statewide, individual-level data repository of K-12 and higher education students in Texas, this study examines the relationship between state standardized achievement in elementary and middle school and postsecondary outcomes over time. Facing the real possibility of the removal of the state testing requirements in the very near future, this study is intended to highlight the importance of standardized testing to the educational success of all students using actual, historical K-12 and higher education data from Texas. Preliminary results demonstrate how the relationships between standardized testing performance in early grades and postsecondary success have diminished in alignment with policy changes to relax achievement and accountability standards.

Authors

• Toni Templeton, University of Houston

• Willa Friedman, University of Houston

• Catherine L. Horn, University of Houston