Dive Brief:
-
Students in grades 2-8 were more likely to rapidly guess at answers on low-stakes, computer-adaptive assessments in math and reading as the school day progressed, with the highest levels of guessing occurring later in the day, according to a study published recently in the Applied Measurement in Education journal.
-
The rapid guessing at test questions is associated with student disengagement. By contrast, the study found no significant correlation between performance decline and time-of-day testing.
-
As schools prepare to assess students, they should be mindful of the increased likelihood students may rapidly guess at answers when tests are given later in the day, the study said.
Dive Insight:
The study looked at the time of day an assessment was administered — focusing on test start times for each hour between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The results showed 2.7% of students taking math tests and 8.5% taking reading assessments at 7 a.m. demonstrated disengaged test-taking behaviors, such as rapidly guessing at answers. But by 1 p.m., disengagement rose to 8.5% of students taking math exams and 15.5% for reading tests. However, the percentage of students whose performance declined did not fluctuate much over the time range.
The study analyzed NWEA MAP Growth data from 5,969 schools within 1,078 school districts from one unnamed state.
Research about ideal school start times has been abundant over the years, but this new research cites only one other study that explicitly examined the connection between student disengagement and the time of day that tests are given. That study also found that rapid-guessing behaviors increased throughout the day.
Spring is typically the time schools administer end-of-year high-stakes tests to students. Guidance in the District of Columbia and states such as Ohio and Maryland encourages schools to schedule testing in the morning for students who have accommodations and may need extra time to complete an assessment. New Mexico advises schools to consider testing all students during a specific time during the school day based on their individual needs.
