How-to-Study Blog

There is increasing emphasis on using standardized tests to assess student progress. Most of these tests include open-ended items that require students to write responses using their own thoughts and words. The responses are typically scored on a 5-point or 6-point scale.

In a recent New York Times column (9/28/09), Todd Farley opined that the problem here is not with the tests as much as it with the test scorers. Farley related his experiences scoring state tests for testing companies. Farley pointed out the reality that open-ended items are scored by subjective humans who are prone to errors. He concluded that the score a student earned depended to some extent on which scorer viewed his or response.

Farley proposed that scoring be done only by professionals who have made a commitment to education, rather than by part-timers such as he was. This is the case in some circumstances. It should be the universal case.

In a humorous addition to the article, Tucker Nichols proposed some rules for scorers. These included adding one point if you suspect the student dresses well, and adding three points if you are hungry. He was joking, wasn’t he?