A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

“It is necessary to call into council the views of our predecessors, in order that we may profit by whatever is sound in their thought and avoid their errors.”

—Aristotle, de Anima, Bk. 1, ch. 2, 403b20-23

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

What is assessment?What is assessment? Assessment: The process of Assessment: The process of

gathering information to gathering information to make informed decisions.make informed decisions.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Why do we need assessment?Why do we need assessment?– CategorizeCategorize– DiagnoseDiagnose– Measure ChangeMeasure Change– Predict an Predict an

OutcomeOutcome– CertificationCertification

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Sir Francis Galton (1822-Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911)1911)– Gifted genius Gifted genius – Founder of social scienceFounder of social science– Pioneered use of statistics Pioneered use of statistics

in psychological researchin psychological research– Teacher of Karl Pearson Teacher of Karl Pearson

and Charles Spearmanand Charles Spearman– Cousin to Charles DarwinCousin to Charles Darwin– EugenicsEugenics

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

James Cattell (1860-James Cattell (1860-1944)1944)– First person with title First person with title

“Professor of Psychology”“Professor of Psychology”– Mental Tests and Mental Tests and

Measurements (1890)Measurements (1890)– Creator and/or editor of Creator and/or editor of

Psychological Review, Psychological Review, Science (Science (AAAS), andAAAS), and Popular Science. Popular Science.

– President APA 1895President APA 1895

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Alfred Binet (1857-Alfred Binet (1857-1911)1911)– New Methods for New Methods for

the Diagnosis of the the Diagnosis of the Intellectual Level of Intellectual Level of SubnormalsSubnormals

– Binet-Simon ScaleBinet-Simon Scale– Mental age.Mental age.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

William Stern (1871-William Stern (1871-1938)1938)– The Psychological The Psychological

Methods of Intelligence Methods of Intelligence TestingTesting

– Modified the Binet-Simon Modified the Binet-Simon scale to get the “mental scale to get the “mental quotient”, which later quotient”, which later became known as IQ.became known as IQ.

CA

MAIQ

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Henry Goddard (1866-Henry Goddard (1866-1957)1957)– Large scale Large scale

implementation of IQ tests.implementation of IQ tests.– The Kallikak Family.The Kallikak Family.– 27 states practiced 27 states practiced

eugenics based on his eugenics based on his work.work.

– Huge influence on military, Huge influence on military, immigration, and society.immigration, and society.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Lewis Terman (1877-Lewis Terman (1877-1956)1956)– Refined the Binet-Simon Refined the Binet-Simon

test and produced the test and produced the modern Stanford Binet, also modern Stanford Binet, also known as the Stanford known as the Stanford Achievement Test.Achievement Test.

– The Stanford Achievement The Stanford Achievement Test (1916) set the testing Test (1916) set the testing benchmark for over two benchmark for over two decades.decades.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The Army Alpha & BetaThe Army Alpha & Beta– Developed by the American Developed by the American

Psychological Association.Psychological Association.– Terman, Goddard, & Robert Yerkes were Terman, Goddard, & Robert Yerkes were

principle group heading up the project.principle group heading up the project.– Yerkes organized and lead a staff of Yerkes organized and lead a staff of

forty psychologist who produce the test forty psychologist who produce the test in only two months.in only two months.

– 1.7 million tests administered during 1.7 million tests administered during WWIWWI

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The Army AlphaThe Army Alpha– The mother of all testsThe mother of all tests– 212 questions in MC and T/F format 212 questions in MC and T/F format – Used to classify draftees into officer Used to classify draftees into officer

or enlisted ranks.or enlisted ranks.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The Army BetaThe Army Beta– Used to classify illiterate drafteesUsed to classify illiterate draftees– Comprised mostly of pictures and Comprised mostly of pictures and

diagrams.diagrams.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The testing explosionThe testing explosion– Following the Army Alpha, Following the Army Alpha,

intelligence testing became a intelligence testing became a multimillion-dollar industry.multimillion-dollar industry.

– The Army Alpha and other The Army Alpha and other subsequent tests transformed the subsequent tests transformed the once cumbersome and costly once cumbersome and costly methods of testing into a process methods of testing into a process that was easy, inexpensive, and that was easy, inexpensive, and commonly accepted.commonly accepted.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Voices of DissentVoices of Dissent– Walter LippmanWalter Lippman

Testing stamps a label, which, once Testing stamps a label, which, once applied, is difficult to remove.applied, is difficult to remove.

Tests serve the prejudice and powerful.Tests serve the prejudice and powerful.

– Steven J. GouldSteven J. Gould The Mismeasure of ManThe Mismeasure of Man

– Edwin BoringEdwin Boring What is intelligence?What is intelligence?

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The past 50 yearsThe past 50 years– Elementary and Secondary Education Elementary and Secondary Education

Act (ESEA) of 1965, aka Title I.Act (ESEA) of 1965, aka Title I.– Minimum Competency Testing (MCT).Minimum Competency Testing (MCT).

Lake Woebegone Effect.Lake Woebegone Effect.

– A Nation at Risk.A Nation at Risk.– Standards based reforms.Standards based reforms.

WYTIWYG (from WYSIWYG).WYTIWYG (from WYSIWYG).

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

The past 50 yearsThe past 50 years– National Assessment of Educational National Assessment of Educational

Progress (NAEP), Progress (NAEP), The Nations Report The Nations Report CardCard..

– Third International Mathematics and Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).Science Study (TIMSS).

– Inclusion.Inclusion.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Reasons for using intelligence tests:Reasons for using intelligence tests:

1.1. Reasonably good at predicting Reasonably good at predicting performance in school.performance in school.

2.2. Mental abilities are very much an Mental abilities are very much an inherited trait (twin and adoption inherited trait (twin and adoption studies).studies).

3.3. Mental measurement is useful, beneficial Mental measurement is useful, beneficial to society, and is one of psychologies to society, and is one of psychologies greatest contributions to modern life.greatest contributions to modern life.

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Concerns about Testing/AssessingConcerns about Testing/Assessing– Test AnxietyTest Anxiety– Categorizing & LabelingCategorizing & Labeling– Effects on Self-ConceptEffects on Self-Concept– Self-Fulfilling PropheciesSelf-Fulfilling Prophecies– Test Fairness/BiasTest Fairness/Bias

A Brief History of A Brief History of Assessment & TestingAssessment & Testing

Concerns about Not Concerns about Not Testing/AssessingTesting/Assessing– How do you know if a person is How do you know if a person is

inclined to succeed?inclined to succeed?– How do you know if a person can How do you know if a person can

really perform a function?really perform a function?– How do you choose between different How do you choose between different

people, organizations, services, and people, organizations, services, and businesses?businesses?