“Do you want a high school diploma? Pass the Literacy Test!”
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Reminiscing to my first day of middle school, all I can remember is sitting outside at a picnic table, hearing two older boys speaking about issues with graduating due to a certain test. My first thought was that the issue was because they did not have grades above a 50. Thus, when I went home that day I asked my parents “what test could these students be talking about?” I found out then that the name of this test was the “Literacy Test.” My next question was immediately, “What is the Literacy Test?” My dad always told me, “Google is your best friend,” so my next step was to Google it.
I found out that day that the Literacy Test is a mandatory standardized test that high school students must pass in order to graduate and receive their high school diploma. The purpose of the Literacy Test is to determine whether or not the students have achieved the established level of proficiency in literacy. The Literacy test includes 2 booklets that must be completed within 2 1/2 hours. These booklets assess the students reading and writing skills previous to grade 10. Teachers are allowed to prepare the students in advance by teaching them proper techniques to read stories and answer specific questions. The first time the test is administered is in grade 10. Each student can write the test twice and if they do not pass both times then an additional option to take a specific grade 12 English course can be completed. If they do not pass the grade 12 English course, then they still cannot receive their high school diploma. The test is graded from levels 1 to 5, with 5 being the maximum achievement level. Below is a graph that demonstrates the percentage of students at each level of attainment.
There has been debate about the Literacy Test because 35,000+ students fail it per year (Quigley, Brenna. 2011). This is a large amount of students that cannot obtain their high school diploma. The test is completed in English and cannot be written in another language. It has affected many students who moved from other countries into the province of Ontario because their first language is not English, thus they have a lower chance of passing the test.
From a statistical point of view, there is conflict that involves poor reliability of the Literacy Test. Volante (2007) has explained to the general public that the format of the Literacy Test restricts students from showing their full reading and writing skills. He criticized the assessment of the reading comprehension of the test by explaining that the producer, John Moore, specifically made the format in a more time-efficient manner for those who are marking it. The reading portion included multiple-choice questions in response to a story, as well as a 6 line, free space answer format. The ability of students to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding is restricted due to the short amount of space on the page to respond. Another restriction stems from the assessment criteria of the test, which is only focused on a certain part of the text that is given on the test. For example, students can respond to some of the questions without having to read the entire text. An example of an item on the Literacy Test that relates to this point is “locate a word or expression and write the meaning of it or a synonym.” This is why students do not engage in reading the entire text. This format skews the results of students. It can be skewed either negatively or positively depending on how hard the content of the questions are for each individual. Fundamentally, it is for these reasons that the Literacy Test does not show results of the students as reliable for reading comprehension.
In conclusion, it is very important for specific educational tests to provide a proper relationship between the content of the texts/stories and the questions that are asked. If the proper format is not used to test a student, then the results can include false positives and false negatives. Due to the increase of students failing the Literacy Test, the general public is starting to recognize that the results are not accurate and actions should be implemented in order to solve this issue. Psychologically, this test shows a students processing speed of information and their ability to complete the amount of work given in a specific time frame. The Literacy Test can identify if an individual struggles with special learning needs or learning disabilities. It is detrimental to young students’ health and mental well being when they cannot graduate high school because of the Literacy Test, which does not display their precise proficiency in literacy.
