Achievement Tests

Achievement Tests Versus Aptitude Tests

Before the 21st century, achievement tests were not always distinguished from aptitude tests. William H. Angoff asserted that in educational assessments, there is neither a very clear distinction between achievement and aptitude nor a sharp difference between measures of achievement and measures of aptitude. The aim of aptitude tests is to indicate a test taker’s readiness to learn or to develop proficiency in some particular area if instruction or training is provided; achievement tests can serve the same purpose.

The main difference between the two constructs is that the achievement test is confined to a [Page 28]single subject area more completely than is the aptitude test. That is, while items and tasks on the achievement tests are based on specific content standards or are dependent on the materials in the curriculum that examinees are expected to learn in a subject area, those on aptitude tests may be based on skills not explicitly taught in school. Depending on the intended purposes for which the test was developed, the results from an achievement test can be used, for example, for assessing proficiency levels, diagnosing strengths and weaknesses, assigning grades, certification, licensure, course placement, college admission, curriculum evaluation, and school accountability.

Brief History of Achievement Tests in the United States

In 1845, the Boston School Committee led by Samuel G. Howe initiated a large-scale, group-administered written examination to facilitate comparisons across classrooms and to monitor schools’ effectiveness. This test is probably the prototype of contemporary achievement tests in the United States, although the term achievement tests was not prevalent at the time. This test, which was intended to efficiently measure the knowledge and skills of a great number of students, carried many of the features relevant to the large-scale state and district tests in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In addition to monitoring the effectiveness of schools, achievement tests of the mid-19th century were designed for selection purposes.

The publication of arithmetic and handwriting tests by Edward L. Thorndike and his students in 1908 symbolized the inception of the unceasing achievement testing movement. At the beginning of the 20th century, there had been some hundreds of achievement tests available for use in elementary and secondary schools; nearly 100 of them were standardized and a variety of content areas were measured: arithmetic, English, geography, handwriting, history, Latin, mathematics, modern languages such as French and Spanish, reading, science, and spelling. The development of achievement test batteries that were designed to inform the public about student learning and school effectiveness across multiple grade levels arose around that time.

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