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Six Nationally and Internationally Administered Tests Had Greater Cognitive Demand Than Previously Studied State Tests

• On average, six benchmark tests — Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Programme for International Student Assessment, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study — were more cognitively demanding than previously studied state achievement tests in both mathematics and English language arts.

The Cognitive Demand of Test Items Varied by Subject and Item Format

• In general, the cognitive demand on the six tests was greater for English language arts than for mathematics, and it was greater for open-ended items than for multiple-choice items.

The Six Tests Varied in the Extent to Which They Assessed Students' Deeper Learning Skills

• Only two of the six tests met both criteria proposed by a panel of education researchers for high-quality measures of deeper learning skills.
• The cognitive demand level of the tests varied with test purpose and the characteristics of the targeted students.