The Volvo effect is a term used in critiquing standardized testing that was created by Peter Sacks in his 2001 book Standardized Minds. The term has been picked up by other sociologists, and counting Volvos has even been facetiously proposed as an alternative method to spending millions of dollars on standardized testing.[1]

The original text in which the Volvo effect was advanced:

Although standardized tests have a relatively bleak record of predicting success in school and work, we know that they do tend to correlate exceedingly well with the income and education of one's parents. Call it the "Volvo Effect." The data is so strong in this regard that one could make a good guess about a child's standardized test scores by simply looking at how many degrees her parents have and what kind of car they drive.[2]

References

  1. ↑ For instance in The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing by M. Gail Jones, Brett D. Jones and Tracy Y. Hargrove.
  2. ↑ Standardized Minds: The High Price of America's Testing Culture and What We Can Do to Change It by Peter Sacks, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7382-0433-8
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