High Stakes Testing
High Stakes Testing is tests used to make major decisions about a student and their education. In order for a test to be considered “high-stakes”, it needs to be vital in making an educational decision and the ability to take precedence over other information. Most High Stake tests are standardized and include multiple choice and open-ended responses, testing students on material that is both familiar and unfamiliar to them. High Stake testing gives a number score based on the amount of answers correct and in which area.
In my opinion, high risk testing is not effective and dangerous for a student’s success in the classroom for many reasons. One, high-stakes tests are unfair to students who do not test well, whom do not have the same recourses for learning as other students or students who are disabled or ELL learners.
Secondly, high stake testing can prove to be deterring for students and cause them to shut down and even drop out. Often if a student does not feel their performance is up to par, they will become discouraged and ultimately give up.
Third, it promotes teachers to “teach to the test” and not accurately and thoroughly teach the material. Some subjects will be eliminated completely if they are not tested in these types of tests that particular school year. Teacher instruction begins to mirror the testing model and authentic learning takes a back seat. Especially in low-income and low-scoring schools, the students are instructed more on test taking techniques than actually learning the material.
Fourth, standardized testing sometimes focuses on topics that are of little importance to our student’s lives and the topics will often have the children become un-engaged and resistant to learning. When children are faced with information and material that is unfamiliar to them they have no visual or prior knowledge to build off of.
Fifth, quality teachers are often turned-off and angered by the threat to teach to the test and held accountable for
In my opinion, high risk testing is not effective and dangerous for a student’s success in the classroom for many reasons. One, high-stakes tests are unfair to students who do not test well, whom do not have the same recourses for learning as other students or students who are disabled or ELL learners.
Secondly, high stake testing can prove to be deterring for students and cause them to shut down and even drop out. Often if a student does not feel their performance is up to par, they will become discouraged and ultimately give up.
Third, it promotes teachers to “teach to the test” and not accurately and thoroughly teach the material. Some subjects will be eliminated completely if they are not tested in these types of tests that particular school year. Teacher instruction begins to mirror the testing model and authentic learning takes a back seat. Especially in low-income and low-scoring schools, the students are instructed more on test taking techniques than actually learning the material.
Fourth, standardized testing sometimes focuses on topics that are of little importance to our student’s lives and the topics will often have the children become un-engaged and resistant to learning. When children are faced with information and material that is unfamiliar to them they have no visual or prior knowledge to build off of.
Fifth, quality teachers are often turned-off and angered by the threat to teach to the test and held accountable for