Common Core Standards and their Impact on Standardized Test Design: A New York Case Study

Abstract

With adoption of the Common Core (CCSS) in a majority of U.S. states came development

of new high-stakes exams. Though researchers have investigated CCSS and

related policies, less attention has been directed toward understanding how standards are translated into testing. Due to the influence that high-stakes tests exert on classroom teaching, research is needed to investigate what kinds of changes in test content are associated with CCSS, as well as the potential impact of these changes on students and teachers. Accordingly, this case study examines changes made to one high-stakes exam by comparing pre- and post-CCSS literacy tests administered to high school students in New York. The study responds to the following: (1) How did the adoption of CCSS alter the design of high school literacy exams in New York? (2) To what extent do exams represent measures of college readiness as opposed to early college equivalence? (3) What are the implications of CCSS exam adaptations for the goal of preparing students to be college and career ready? Findings suggest that the rush to implement more rigorous CCSS exams resulted in an exceedingly long and difficult exam that is more representative of early college equivalence rather than of college readiness.