New research shows that the reason children show more progress on math exams than on English exams partially stems from incentives embedded in the way standardized tests are designed. The  researchers found that math exams typically measure ability more precisely than ELA exams for students who are close to achieving proficiency. This matters because proficiency is a central metric for many state accountability systems, and prior research has found that teachers tend to target instruction to marginally proficient students.
An article summarizing the research will be published in the Summer 2022 issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and is available online now.

Source:Cornell Chronicle