Gender and Testing

Analysis of standardized test results has revealed consistent differences in average levels of performance between different groups, including differences in the performance of males and females. These are referred to as achievement gaps when one group outperforms another and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant; the differences between the scores of males and females are often referred to as the gender gap. This entry describes differences between average scores of males and females on certain standardized tests and discusses some of the possible reasons for those differences.

A 2013 report on the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend assessments of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students found that female students scored higher in reading than male students at all three ages. The National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend assessments show some narrowing of the gender gap over time, however. While 9 year olds overall had higher scores in 2012 than their counterparts in 1971, 9-year-old boys made larger score gains than girls, leading to a narrowing of the gender gap at age 9. In mathematics, 17-year-old male students scored higher than 17-year-old female students did. However, the gender gap in math for students at that age narrowed between 1971 and 2012 because 17-year-old female students made gains in math during that period while 17-year-old male students did not. National Assessment of Educational Progress data indicate that achievement gaps based on income and race are larger than the achievement gap between males and females.

Another area where gender differences have traditionally been found is in standardized tests that are meant to predict college performance. On the SAT, for example, males have typically scored around a third of a standard deviation higher than females on the mathematics portion. Females, on the other hand, often are found to score higher on verbal tests than males. In recent years, these differences have been found more consistently.

There is a variety of theories to explain gender differences in performance on standardized tests. Because females tend to get higher grades at all levels of education than males, it seems likely that one explanation may lie in the tests or the testing contexts themselves. Those who explore gender differences in attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics find that by high school, girls are less likely to be interested or motivated in math and related areas. It is reasonable, then, to assume that girls will have different math backgrounds and levels of interests in mathematics by the time they take college admissions tests. Another possible explanation is that there may be gender-specific ways of thinking or cognitive ability differences; however, in terms of testing, educational researchers generally have not claimed that score differences are caused by actual ability differences.

The impact of gender gaps crosses several issues, such as dropout rates, graduation rates, higher education admissions, and earned degrees. In general, there is a higher dropout rate and a lower graduation rate among males than among females. In addition, females surpass males in college enrollment, especially among Hispanics and Blacks. As of 2016, 57% of students in U.S. degree-granting postsecondary institutions were female. The disparities between males and females on these issues are wider among those in certain ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels.

...