Standardized Testing and the Common Core Standards - You Get What You Pay For?

Oct 3, 2026

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Executive report analyzing the cost of Common Core standardized testing in the U.S., focusing on how per-student expenses change when states withdraw from the PARCC and SBAC consortia. It breaks costs into fixed development and student-dependent scoring to estimate price impacts from defections. Findings indicate departures of a few states raise remaining per-student prices by only about 60 cents, and broader withdrawal scenarios would increase costs by no more than $2–$3. It argues states should prioritize test quality alongside affordability and suggests policy approaches to fund assessments efficiently.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Common Core assessment implementation and goals

PARCC and SBAC cost estimates and state concerns

Political debate and potential effects of withdrawals

Empirical cost analysis method and findings

Policy recommendations on quality and assessment funding

October 2013 STANDARDIZED TESTING AND THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS You Get What You Pay For? Reuters Matthew M. Chingos This report greatly benefited from helpful conversations with Beth Akers, Tony Alpert, Bryan Bleil, Scott Marion, Jeff Nellhaus, Morgan Polikoff, Candy Shyer, Paul Weeks, Russ Whitehurst, and Joe Willhoft. I also thank Ben Ehrlich, Laila Heid, Ellie Klein, and Amy Yeung for research assistance. Matthew M. Chingos is a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Over the next two years, the biggest changes to standardized testing in the U.S. in more than a decade will be put in place as 45 states implement the Common Core standards in math and English language arts (ELA) . These states, which comprise 85 percent of American students, will adopt new assessment systems aimed at measuring whether students are learning the material specified by the new standards, which are designed to ensure student readiness for success in college and the labor force. A potentially important benefit of common standards is that they will allow states to adopt better tests ata lower price through collaboration on common tests. This would be particularly consequential in small states, which pay more for their assessment systems because they lack the economies of scale of large states. The leading options for Common Core assessments are the tests being developed by two consortia of states that are funded by federal grants: the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) . Thirty-three states currently belong to at least one of these consortia, both of which are developing math and ELA assessments for widespread use beginning in 2014-15. PARCCand SBAC have estimated that their computer-based end-of year assessments will cost $29.50 and $22.50 per student, respectively. These costs are not far from the nationwide average of what states currently pay for their existing tests, but many states have expressed concerns about these costs, especially states that currently spend well below average. Assessment costs have always been a political football given the controversy surrounding standardized testing, and that has only intensified with the debate over Common Core. Concerns about the cost of the consortia’s tests likely stem in part from a sense of uncertainty because the consortia have announced estimates, but not firm prices. States may be concerned that the price will go up, especially if states leave the consortia, and that they will be left without an affordable alternative. Opponents of the Common Core may be hoping that the withdrawal of a few states from the common assessments will lead to the unraveling of the consortia. This report tackles this question through an empirical analysis of the consortia’s cost estimates. By dividing per-student costs into the component that is the same regardless of the number of students (e.g., developing test questions) and the part that depends on the number of students (e.g., scoring essays), it is possible to estimate how prices will change if the consortia continue to lose members. This analysis shows that the departure of a few states will have a minimal impact on cost. For example, the possible departure of Florida, PARCC’s second-largest member, only means a per-student price increase of about 60 cents for the remaining states. This analysis also shows that rising costs from defections are unlikely to pose a serious threat to the existence of the consortia. If all of the states where political debate over the Common Core is most intense were to drop out of the consortia, costs would increase by no more than $2 or $3. In other words, for either PARCC or SBAC to face any real cost-based threat from states dropping out, the political opponents of the Common Core would have to be successful in generating withdrawals from

FAQs

What changes to standardized testing are expected under the Common Core in the next two years?

Forty-five states will implement Common Core standards in math and ELA and adopt new assessment systems intended to measure learning aligned with the standards.

How do PARCC and SBAC estimate per-student assessment costs?

PARCC estimates $29.50 and SBAC estimates $22.50 per student for computer-based end-of-year assessments.

What does the report conclude about the cost impact if states withdraw from PARCC or SBAC?

The departure of a few states would have a minimal impact; for example, Florida’s potential departure would raise the per-student price for remaining states by about 60 cents.

Oct 3, 2026

Upload by aboduw