Standardized Tests for Schools in the United States

Standardized Tests for Schools in the United States

standardized test is a test administered and scored in a standard manner. The following are such tests as administered across the United States.

Ability/ Achievement tests

Ability/ Achievement tests are used to evaluate a student's or worker's understanding, comprehension, knowledge and/or capability in a particular area. They are used in academics, professions and many other areas.

A general distinction is usually made between tests of ability/ aptitude (intelligence tests) versus tests of achievement (academic proficiency).

Public schools

Main article: List of state achievement tests in the United States

  • National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
  • State achievement tests are standardized tests. These may be required in American public schools for the schools to receive federal funding, according to the US Public Law 107-110 originally passed as Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and currently authorized as Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. No Child Left Behind was the controversial version of the law signed by President G. W. Bush in 2001; it was reauthorized in 2015 by President B. Obama.
  • Exit examinations for high school graduation

Other tests

The test of General Educational Development (GED) evaluates whether a person who has not received a high school diploma has academic skills at the level of a high school graduate.

Private tests are tests created by private institutions for various purposes, such as progress monitoring in K-12 classrooms.

  • ACT
    • PLAN
    • EXPLORE
  • California Achievement Test
  • ITBS - Iowa Test of Basic Skills
  • SAT - formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test
    1. SAT Subject Tests
  • CLT - Classic Learning Test
  • Former English Language Proficiency Test - ELPT
  • PSAT/NMSQT - Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
  • STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, and STAR Reading
  • Stanford Achievement Test
  • TerraNova
  • WorkKeys

Admissions tests

Education in the United States

Admissions tests are used in the admission process at elite or private elementary and secondary schools, as well as most colleges and universities. They are generally used to predict the likelihood of a student's success in an academic setting.

Secondary School

  • ISEE - Independent School Entrance Examination
  • SSAT - Secondary School Admission Test
  • HSPT - High School Placement Test
  • COOP- Cooperative admissions examination program
  • SHSAT - Specialized High School Admissions Test

Undergraduate

  • SAT - formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test
    • SAT Subject Tests
    • Former English Language Proficiency Test - ELPT
  • ACT - formerly American College Testing Program or American College Test
  • ACCUPLACER - community colleges and 4 year colleges placement test
  • CLT - Classic Learning Test