High Stakes Testing Albert Einstein once stated, “not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” High-stakes testing attempts to determine the knowledge a person has obtained throughout grades K-12. These standardized tests are being used to judge a person’s ability to graduate from high school and also judge if a child has enough knowledge to proceed to the next grade level. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how these tests do not accurately
High Stakes Testing In 1997, President Bill Clinton stated that the United States needed, “ a national crusade for education standards - not federal government standards, but national standards, representing what all our students must know to succeed in the knowledge economy of the twenty-first century”(http://books.nap.edu/books/0309062802/html/13.html). The way to succeed in this journey is through standardized testing that results in consequences for teachers and students. Throughout
functional than they already are. There are many problems with the way that standardized testing is implemented in our public school system as stated above. A total of more than 525 public schools in the state of Texas have signed a national resolution that calls for an end to the overemphasis to standardized testing. (Parents for Public Schools Inc.) “The resolution states that the over-emphasis on standardized testing has ‘caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing
High stakes testing has taken over every school curriculum from kindergarten through twelfth grade; teachers are often expected to “teach to the test.” Students are suffering due to a strict curriculum that is based solely on passing “the test.” Many wonder if high stakes testing is really worth the many sacrifices students and teachers must make. The high stakes testing curriculum deprives many students of valuable learning opportunities and much needed academic training. Today, schools are making
work together to solve the world’s problems.” These statements by James A. Banks have made a profound impact on my view towards multicultural education and the nation’s current trend of standardization and high-stakes testing. Scholarly research shows that the emphasis placed on testing and standards, mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is causing teachers to focus entirely on basic skills in reading, writing, and math (Banks & Banks, 2010). This focus on basic skills is taking much
indicate teachers’ perceptions and concerns about the high-stakes standardized science testing being implemented in the elementary school. Data of a qualitative nature was collected through surveys. Data about previous standardized testing instruments used in the district and a rationale and brief history of the teaching of science in the district was presented first. A significant amount of primary research regarding standardized testing, test preparation activities, science teaching methods, and
As time has passed high-stakes and standardized testing have become the backbone for the United States educational system. This type of testing is flawed in many ways and has diminishing returns at the cost of a students sanity, time, and overall knowledge of a subject. For these reasons, high-stakes testing should be stopped and replaced with something more realistic for all students to achieve. We all know taking high-stakes tests are stressful but for a portion of students it makes them physically
High-stakes tests have increasingly become a significant focus in the educational systems of the world. They are primarily designed to give a collective measure of how well a student performs in each subject area. With an enormous number of students graduating each year, high-stakes tests give educators a mutual model for assessing these students. In this current age of educational reform there has been a drastic increase in the narrowing of curriculum so that students are exposed to only the curriculum
Writing a High Stakes Testing Newsletter: A Reflection Introduction High stakes testing is not a concept that is going away anytime soon (Dankiw, Johanson, Loder, & Watson, 2014). High stakes tests are standardized tests that are administered to evaluate specific standards that should be taught over the year. These tests are grade level specific and there are various requirements for passing them based on the state you are in. Parents are stakeholders in their child’s education and it is highly
Testing is a way to measure what students have learned from their teachers. Standardized/High-Stakes testing is a tool used to measure the performance of students and the quality of teachers in public school systems. High-Stakes testing is an inaccurate measuring stick of teaching quality and thus is detrimental to the educational system. Pressure is being exerted on students to pass, and teachers to enable their students to pass the standardized tests being presented to them. This takes much classroom
High stakes testing may seem like a good idea, however it’s not, as a consequence, many are not getting high school degrees and are also doing worse on the NAEP because the tests are too stressful. Why should students be punished because they may not be good test takers, or maybe they don't have a very good teacher or class? Most say that that is not fair. High stakes testing should not be in any schools, nevertheless some standards do need to be met in order to get a high school degree, but it
course of the past couple decades high-stakes testing has become a way to analyze student’s performance year after year. High-stakes testing is a way of testing that includes serious consequences for students, teachers, administrators, etc. (Jones, G., Jones, B., & Hargrove, T., 2003). A form of high-stakes testing that is most common is standardized tests issued by the government at state level based on each state’s standards. The ultimate goal of high-stakes testing is to educate students to be able
High-stakes testing dates back to around one hundred years ago. They were first created as a means to sort people into groups to where each student could be placed where they could receive the most appropriate level of instruction based on their test scores. These tests were also used for determining what type of vocations the test takers were most suited for. Students began being tested nationwide for reading achievement in the 1960’s, starting with National Assessment of Educational Progress
In today’s society where testing runs the educational world, a teacher must decide how to prepare students for standardized testing. Although, a teacher may not want to teach to the test their arm is twisted. Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), teachers are forced to teach to the test to try to achieve perfect test scores for 100% of the class. NCLB holds teachers accountable for each child’s scores. So the question arises, should high-stakes testing drive the curriculum? Preparing
areas of students in determining the effectiveness of teachers and school districts in general. The kinds of tests that are being used in school districts now are referred to as “high stakes tests” where the outcome of the test determines the fate of a student or a teacher. The thing to realize about high stakes testing is that students, teachers, and schools should not be defined by the score on the test, and there are more problems with the tests than there are benefits. One of the main issues with
The purpose of this review is to explore the effects of standardized testing on elementary students as well as the impact on teachers. This literature review is in no way an all-inclusive review of all available information on the topic of test anxiety. The reviewed literature was found through Arkansas Tech’s online library database using the search terms: “standardized test anxiety”, “test anxiety elementary”, and “high stakes tests elementary.” There are many questions to be answered concerning
topic, giving the student little room to express their strong points. Tests are called "high-stakes" when they used to make major decisions about a student, such as high school graduation or grade promotion. Tests are called "standardized" when all students answer the same questions under similar conditions and their responses are scored in the same way. Research has shown that high-stakes testing causes damage to individual students and education. It is not a reasonable method for improving
post-secondary education focusing mainly on k-5 and 9-12 students enrolled at underprivileged public schools. The policy change I am proposing will phase out high-stakes testing; a form of standardized testing in which results could be detrimental to the test taker. This policy change would deal with problems that are directly linked to high-stakes testing in post-secondary school, grades k-12. The policy will reduce inequality between students created by the tests. Inaccurate results received from t...
parents all over America have been asking- does high school testing measure a student’s knowledge fairly, accurately, and do they benefit the student. The tests do not accurately measure a student’s true academic ability. Furthermore, testing does not always fairly measure a student’s knowledge. High-stakes testing only adds stress to a student’s life. Studies have proven that testing is not beneficial to a student’s educational growth. Testing in high school is affected by different factors; therefore
The majority of parents and students have an opinion on standardized testing, but many people are unaware of the real effect standardized testing has on public school. Michelle Obama, the 44th First Lady of the United States says, “If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn 't be here. I guarantee you that.” Standardized Testing should be eliminated from public schools because it negatively impacts the education system. Despite the views of many, it is crucial