Turning Standardized Test Scores into a Tool for Improving Teaching and Learning

Abstract

In many public school districts, standardized test scores have become the focus of accountability systems. Little has been done to help schools and teachers understand the connection between test scores and day-to-day classroom practices, however, and without this understanding, score-based accountability systems will not lead to meaningful educational reform. This article describes the Erikson Institute Schools Project’s efforts to use analyses of standardized test scores as the entry point for an assessment and intervention process aimed at improving school curricula and instruction.