Test Use Among Classroom Teachers and Its Relationship to Teaching Level and Teaching Practices

This study surveyed a representative sample of teachers from a large metropolitan school district to investigate the weight they assign to the results of teacher-prepared tests, nationally standardized tests, and state minimumcompetency tests in making major educational decisions. Teachers reported that all three test types were used to some extent in each of eight decision categories, but in none of these decisions were the three test types judged to play a clearly dominant role. The results also suggested that test use varies, depending on teaching level and, to some extent, on certain teaching practices.