Providing broader life experiences to students may help improve their standardized test performance.

The researchers recommend focusing on test preparation to improve test scores for disadvantaged students.

Maroun and Tienken found that standardized tests are fully validated for all their current uses.

The researchers concluded that standardized tests reflect student demographics more than learning.

Standardized math tests typically do not require much reading comprehension

Students from wealthier families often have greater access to experiences that build background knowledge.

Prior knowledge about a subject, like baseball, enhances a student’s ability to understand related texts.

Background knowledge significantly influences reading comprehension

The study by Maroun and Tienken focused on reading tests in New Jersey.

In a 2016 study, Tienken showed that census data could predict standardized test outcomes.

Tienken was previously an elementary school teacher.

Tienken’s findings apply only to wealthy school districts

Tienken’s research suggests that standardized tests mainly measure family and community capital

The primary purpose of standardized tests is to measure how much students have learned.