Tennessee teachers and testing : a profile of perceptions

The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of the general level of knowledge that currently exists among teachers and administrators in the state of Tennessee about standardized testing, assessment, evaluation, utilization of standardized test results, and their attitudes toward standardized tests. Implicit in this purpose is the level of awareness of the science of tests and measurement and the level of understanding of testing in the education environment. The subjects for the study were a randomly-drawn sample of teachers and administrators in the state of Tennessee. A survey instrument was devised through preliminary survey interviews and a pilot study and mailed to the respondents. The instrument was designed to address research questions specific to this study dealing with the use of student standardized test data by teachers and administrators in Tennessee, the current level of perceived understanding about basic testing and measurement terms and processes by professional educators in Tennessee, the training regarding tests and measurement teachers and administrators had received in their professional preparation, and the prevalent attitude towards using student standardized test data in teacher evaluations among practitioners in Tennessee. The following elements emerged from the analysis of the data: the most frequent use of student standardized test data was for diagnosing student problems, limiting the effectiveness of the use of test data. The gap between educators' perceptions of testing terms and the use of those terms is large, indicating a possible lack of understanding. Information gained through various methods regarding tests and measurement was not utilized effectively by practitioners. Educators' attitudes toward standardized tests, especially in the case of the use of standardized test data as a component of teacher evaluation, were doubtful and contradictory, and, in many cases, negative.