HIGH STAKE TESTING EDUC606 TANIA MIAN
High-Stakes Testing: A Tool for Improvement
Tania-Farzeen Mian
EDUC 606-D09 LUO
Dr. Steven McDonald
Since the early 60’s varying attempts have been made to improve the education system of America. After the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was passed in 2002, all students in public schools started to get tested and the results were used to measure the success of the school and district. “High-stakes testing, by its very definition, is the most extreme form of testing, for it results in the most direct, far-reaching set of consequences for the test taker. Thus, high-stakes testing bears great significance for human achievements, individual lives and educational practices alike ” (Ydesen, p, 98, 2014). A state-wide or national standardized test is usually used for this form of testing. Today the main purpose for high-stakes testing is to evaluate the schools, teachers, and students and to hold them accountable for the education being provided and learned. Over 25 states use the results of these tests to make decisions regarding the education system. If the results are found to be positive and/or showing improvements the schools are rewarded financially, but if the results are negative, showing a lack of improvement, the schools could be closed down. (Ydeses, 2014) Some popular criticisms continue to be that the teachers ‘teaching to the test’ and spending too much time on test preparation and not enough time on actual standards and that these are the reasons for an increase in test results. Most people that believe that high-stakes testing lead to teaching to the test base this on theoretical and not empirical data. Some believe that teachers allow students at risk to spend more class time on Reading and Math instead of on other subjects. But this can be seen as a positive step to help students catch up on critical skills needed to succeed in future classes. So emphasizing skills in these two core subjects can help students in the
Tania-Farzeen Mian
EDUC 606-D09 LUO
Dr. Steven McDonald
Since the early 60’s varying attempts have been made to improve the education system of America. After the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was passed in 2002, all students in public schools started to get tested and the results were used to measure the success of the school and district. “High-stakes testing, by its very definition, is the most extreme form of testing, for it results in the most direct, far-reaching set of consequences for the test taker. Thus, high-stakes testing bears great significance for human achievements, individual lives and educational practices alike ” (Ydesen, p, 98, 2014). A state-wide or national standardized test is usually used for this form of testing. Today the main purpose for high-stakes testing is to evaluate the schools, teachers, and students and to hold them accountable for the education being provided and learned. Over 25 states use the results of these tests to make decisions regarding the education system. If the results are found to be positive and/or showing improvements the schools are rewarded financially, but if the results are negative, showing a lack of improvement, the schools could be closed down. (Ydeses, 2014) Some popular criticisms continue to be that the teachers ‘teaching to the test’ and spending too much time on test preparation and not enough time on actual standards and that these are the reasons for an increase in test results. Most people that believe that high-stakes testing lead to teaching to the test base this on theoretical and not empirical data. Some believe that teachers allow students at risk to spend more class time on Reading and Math instead of on other subjects. But this can be seen as a positive step to help students catch up on critical skills needed to succeed in future classes. So emphasizing skills in these two core subjects can help students in the