Boundless Readers      5153 North Clark Street, Suite 206     Chicago, IL 60640     p. 773.989.8582   e. info@boundlessreaders.org
© 2009 Boundless Readers

  • They measure nothing related to motivation to read nor engagement with text; and
  • They only partially address comprehension beyond the literal level or the ability to express ideas in writing.

Test scores may be necessary but they are not sufficient in measuring whether students are developing as readers, learners, and thinkers.

Allowing test scores alone to be the primary driver of instruction is counter-productive in the long-run. While the data can be a powerful tool to analyze achievement, too many schools have “aligned” their curriculum with the tests.  Basically, this is teaching to the test.  And, in many cases, that is all that is taught.  The result is a narrowing of curriculum to focus on the kinds of isolated skills easily measured on multiple choice tests.

Boundless Readers believes accountability for results is essential to improving public education in the United States; however, our national pursuit of accountability in individual schools must not be too narrow in focus.

Yes, we look at test scores. From 2003 to 2007, schools with high-concentrations of Boundless Readers teachers achieved 12% higher gains in test scores versus all other schools.  Of the 483 elementary and middle schools in the Chicago Public Schools, Boundless Readers has achieved a particularly high presence in 34 schools, having worked with at least 30% of the teaching staff. 

In 2008, a study that compared Boundless Readers schools with matched comparison schools, students of Boundless Readers teachers made greater gains on the ISAT reading standardized test than both students at the comparison schools and students at their own schools who had teachers that did NOT participate with Boundless Readers.

To see how our programs help students build a much more comprehensive set of literacy skills, see Our Impact section on student outcomes.

For more test score data and evaluation information, please contact Mary Hicks at mhicks@boundlessreaders.org or 773-989-8582.
Standardized Tests: Our View
A child has only one chance at an education, and it is paramount
that we demand the best for them and of them.

Test scores matter, but they are not the only reading outcome that matters.

Standardized tests do not measure all student outcomes that are critical to the development of a true reader: