Standardized Test Item Finders

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Standardized Test Item Finder (Science)
Standardized Test Item Finder (Mathematics)

Proof Points…

According to educational folklore "what gets tested gets taught." By implication, teachers use information about what is eligible targets for testing to guide their selection of curriculum topics. This approach implies that if a topic or subject is not tested, then it is insufficiently important to teach or to be learned. This “knee-jerk” approach assigns a value to course content and merit to teaching this material solely in terms of its likelihood of appearing on a standardized assessment.

Core content areas such as science and social studies have sometimes been neglected because "teachers reallocate their time to emphasize the subjects on state tests at the expense of non-tested subjects. Even within content areas, teachers shift the focus of lessons to stress the material on the state exams" (AERA, 2003. p. 1). There is some hope that this preferential coverage of tested material will diminish because of the broader testing requirements for states under NCLB. Provisions in this legislation mandate that states implement testing in all four major content areas (social studies, science, mathematics, and English language arts) by 2007. NCLB also mandates that standardized test items be constructed in a manner which guarantees that they exhibit a similar cognitive demand (Webb, 2002) to the standards from which they were derived.

While the authors of STEM Education tools favor the more rigorous and revealing system of using multiple measures (including performance assessments) to determine if students are meeting the standards, we assume that the trend toward increased standardized testing will continue. The central question is whether a reasoned stance to "teaching to the test" can be reached that does not draw the lifeblood out of creative and dedicated teaching. There are ways to do this. One method of rehearsing is to teach explicit test-taking strategies. Fogarty (1999) recommends that teachers demonstrate techniques for answering multiple choice questions, outlining or webbing to expose key ideas, and approaches that students can use when the correct answer is unclear.

Teachers can use the Standardized Test Item Finder to quickly and conveniently access a broad array of test items available on the Web. This tool contains direct links to state departments of education websites and their banks of released test items. A released item is one that has been used in an earlier version of a state's standardized assessment. These are free for the asking. Departments of Education release these items to reduce some of the guesswork and uncertainty associated with test taking.

The Way it Works…

When teachers introduce content material during the normal course of instruction, teachers can seamlessly introduce standardized assessment items drawn from the Internet. Released items can be routinely incorporated into a unit’s assessment plan. This practice enables students to learn about standardized testing and to prepare for success on large scale assessments.

Assume you are a life science or biology teacher who has designed and is implementing an educational plan that targets a content standard dealing with biomes. STEM Education’s Standardized Test Item Finder offers a simple and convenient way to locate test items linked to this standard via the Internet. Obviously the best place to begin is with one’s home state. But, if a broad sample of items is desired, the simple procedures found in the tips section below work nicely.

Practice items can be introduced seamlessly into a lesson, for example as a "bell ringer" for students to complete while routine classroom management chores are taking place. Released questions and tasks can be used as a review exercise. Small amounts of time can be dedicated to reviewing correct answers and discussing helpful strategies for selecting the correct responses. Over time, students become familiar with different testing formats and receive numerous opportunities to practice with a variety of test items. This is a method for reducing the mystery and anxiety associated with standardized testing in a way that does not heavily intrude on the myriad demands associated with effective instruction.

Helpful Tips...


To search for a particular keyword (e.g., biome) within a particular website found within the Standardized Test Item Finder, do the following:

a. Locate and copy the name of the website.
b. Open Google and use the "site" operator.
c. Enter the keyword followed by the word site, a colon, and then the name of the website in the Google search bar.
d. For example, to search for to search for inquiry within the Corwin Press site, type the words inquiry site: www.corwinpress.com into the Google search bar.

To search for a keyword within a PDF file:

a. Open the Search feature on the toolbar of the Adobe Acrobat program with which you are viewing the file.
b. This will bring up a search space at the right of the window that contains a search bar and a set of clickable results for each page.
c. Enter the keyword in the search bar.
d. For example, if you were looking for items from the CAPT test released by the state of Connecticut:
- Click on the Standardized Test Item Finder selection for Connecticut.
- This will open: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/s-t/capt_released_items.htm#5
- Select the specific test item bank of interest.
- Use the Search procedure described above to locate relevant test items for your topic.
- Use the Select tool to choose the test items that you want to export.
- Copy these test items.
- Paste these test items into your document.