Standardized Testing and Holistic Consideration

“I don’t do well on standardized tests.”

I hear this often from my high schoolers.

My response? “Me neither.”

I quickly follow up with the fact that standardized tests don’t tell your whole story as a student–nor do they define your future. I tell them my story of taking the SATs three times without much improvement, but that what got me into college wasn’t my SAT, it was my solid GPA (that I worked hard for) and my extracurriculars that helped compensate for that one area of weakness.

Needless to say, I’m not a huge proponent of standardized tests. And yet, after exploring the selected article for today’s episode, my attitude has shifted (eh, slightly) from anti-standardized testing, to standardized testing and/or. I will always advocate for more holistic approaches to evaluating student growth and potential. When it comes to summative assessments, project-based learning and process-based rubrics will always trump multiple choice tests.

But, perhaps I’m doing to the standardized test the same thing I’ve felt it’s always done to me: backing it into a corner. So, I ask that if you share my distaste in standardized tests, try listening to this episode with the openness not of an SAT answer key, but of an educator seeking to understand the entire picture of our admissions process and our students seeking admission.

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Talking the Read

Episode 3: “The Standardized Testing Dilemma: Equity or Inequality?”

Show Notes

Today’s episode is based on the article in The Economist: “America’s progressives should love standardised tests” (16 April 2025)

Two Things I Learned in Producing This Episode

• Much of my revision efforts involved toning down Liam’s adulations toward Chris. I appreciate the momentum he brings to the conversation, but his enthusiasm and flattery can be a bit much.
• Inspired by the podcast Hard Fork, I attempted a little humor in the opening of this episode. This got me thinking about how using AI audio tools might benefit students learning audio production or rhetorical strategies through multimedia means. ElevenLabs lets you tinker with the transcript, manipulate tone and inflection in the bot’s voice. This helps hone listening skills on an entirely new level. Once dropped into recording software, the user can then experiment with splicing up the clips, manipulating the pace, creating pauses, and selecting the music to match the tone.

To learn more about the production process of this AI-generated podcast, check out the show notes for the first episode.