The Stanford Achievement Test series, which includes the Stanford Early School Achievement Test (SESAT), is one of the most widely used and well-respected testing tools for students up to 12th grade. The Stanford test series was developed by Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement in 1926 as an objective measurement of the educational process and was in its 10th version as of 2010. Pearson Assessment & Information acquired Harcourt in 2008 and publishes the SESAT.
President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 substantially expanded the role of standardized testing in education. According to the Education Resources Information Center, NCLB mandates that all states conduct annual testing of all public school students, grades 3 to 12, to measure students’ progress and the school’s success. Using the SESAT or another type of standardized test for kindergartners or first-graders is optional, but many states choose to test in hopes of improving students’ scores in the higher grades.
The Stanford Early School Achievement Test is part of the Stanford Achievement Test Series that features 13 levels matching with grades kindergarten through 12. Testing is conducted midway in the school year. Each level evaluates the student’s grasp of what is normally taught in that grade. According to the Stanford Achievement Test Series website, the SESAT tests 5- to 6-year-olds on their skills in basic arithmetic, reading and comprehension. Students are asked to pick out the word that’s spelled correctly among misspelled words. They also are assessed on their ability to listen. Most questions are multiple choice.
SESAT scores are not typical report cards with A’s, B’s and C’s. Instead, according to the Stanford Achievement Test Series Information blog, the results are presented as “scaled scores, national and local percentile ranks, grade equivalents and normal curve equivalents.” For example, if your daughter ranks in the 80th percentile, that means she performed better than 80 percent of the students who were tested, regardless of how many of her answers were right or wrong.
The Stanford Early School Achievement Test gives parents a glimpse of their 5- or 6-year-old’s abilities in reading and math and how well their child measures up to other kindergartners or first-graders. The SESAT also sets a baseline for measuring the student’s progress from year to year. For teachers and administrators, the SESAT is a yardstick to assess how well they are educating their youngest students and may point to areas that need more attention.
Though parents may view testing in kindergarten as a good way to evaluate their child’s abilities, according to education.com, “Research shows that standardized tests do not accurately measure young children’s knowledge and are not reliable indicators of future school success.” Joan Almon, executive director of Alliance for Childhood, says: “Children are very subject to how they feel. If they’re hungry, for instance, or sleepy or grumpy, their test scores will be affected.” The Alliance urges parents to focus on working closely with their child’s teacher.
Because the Stanford Achievement Test has the same initials as the SAT, they are easily confused. The SAT is the exam students take when applying for college admission.