Standardized Testing and Teacher Cheating

1628 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Standardized testing in education

In the contemporary American education system high-stakes standardized testing has resulted in a focus on extensive test preparation, as well as a large increase in the numbers of teachers cheating by alternating their students' test scores. Both these phenomena are a direct consequence of the incentives and punishments directly linked to standardized test results.

Many teachers have taken acceptable measures in improving their students’ scores, such as simply “teaching to the test”, and taking class time to teach test taking techniques and procedures often resulting in a significant loss in time for other important standards and benchmarks that are not tested on. Taking a deontologist stance, one would propose that the teachers are merely acting from their duty to help their students succeed, and that if the standardized test is a true reflection of the material a student should have mastered, “teaching to the test” exactly the course a teacher should take. With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 teachers are “implicitly encouraged to reallocate classroom time, because it only requires testing in reading and math in seven grades and science in three” (Phelps) and taking any other form of action would result in failure for the students and the instructor. One can argue that teaching to the test can easily be squashed by changing and rotating test topics between all of the benchmarks and standards teachers are ethically obligated to teach; however, this arises the question, do administrators and educators really want to stop this well adapted to process? This phenomenon places a utilitarian at a conflict of short term versus long term effects and benefits. When focusing on the short term benefits, a utili...

... middle of paper ...

...2011): 38+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Smolin, Andrea, and Jennifer Clayton. "Standardized Testing: How Prepared Are We?." Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. 12(4). (2009): 29-36. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Wiliam, Dylan. "Standardized Testing and School Accountability." Educational Psychologist. 45(2). (2010): 107-122. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Farah, Yara N. "Through Another's Eyes." Gifted Child Today 36.3 (2013): 209-212. Professional Development Collection. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

Was, Christopher A. "Standardized Testing: NOT The Root Of All Evil." Psyccritiques 54.23 (2009): PsycCRITIQUES. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Jacob, Brian, and Steven Levitt. "Rotten Apples: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Predictors of Teacher Cheating." Oxford University Press. 118.3 (2003): 843-877. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Standardized Testing Has a Negative Effect on American Youth

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miltich, Matthew. "Standardized Testing and Assessment Do Not Improve Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 151-54. Print.

    Read More

  • Why America's Educational System is Failing

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.

    Read More

  • The Shortcomings of Standardized Testing

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Popham, W. James. "Why standardized tests don't measure educational quality." Educational Leadership 56 (1999): 8-16.

    Read More

  • Standardized Tests Are Biased and Unfair

    1977 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ruthven, R. (2007, November 7). Is Standardized Testing Hurting Education? Associated Content. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from www.associatedcontent.com/article/438846/is_standardized_testing_hurting_education.html

    Read More

  • The Case Against Standardized Tests

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    Worthen, Blaine R., and Vicki Spandel. "Putting the Standardized Testing Debate in Perspective." Educational Leadership Feb. 1991: 65-69. ASCD. 1 Dec. 2013

    Read More

  • Standardized Tests: Do They Really Work for Raising the Rank of the US in World Education?

    1813 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Study Finds Standardized Tests Hurting Students." Chicago Tribune. 16 Oct. 1992. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing a Failure in Education

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Standardized testing scores proficiencies in most generally accepted curricular areas. The margin of error is too great to call this method effective. “High test scores are generally related to things other than the actual quality of education students are receiving” (Kohn 7). “Only recently have test scores been published in the news-paper and used as the primary criteria for judging children, teachers, and schools.”(2) Standardized testing is a great travesty imposed upon the American Public School system.

    Read More

  • The Sol's Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    Parents and advocates of education can all agree that they want their students to be in the best hands possible in regards to education. They want the best teachers, staffs, and schools to ensure their student’s success. By looking at the score results from standardized testing, teachers can evaluate effectively they are doing their job. On the other side, a proponent for eliminating standardized testing would argue that not all students care passionately about their education and will likely not perform to expectations on the test. However, receiving the numerical data back, teachers can construe the student’s performances and eliminate the outliers of the negligent kids. Teachers can then look at the individual scores and assign those outliers to get the help they need in school. This helps every student getting an equal chance at education. Overall, taking a practice standardized test can let a teacher look at individual questions and scores and interpret what they need to spend more time on teaching. A school also can reap the benefits from standard testing to ensure they are providing the best possible education they can. The school can look at the average scores from a group and hold the teacher accountable for the student’s results on the test. The school can then determine the best course of action to pursuit regarding the teacher’s career at the school. By offering teachers and schools the opportunity to grow and prosper, standardized testing is a benefit for the entire education

    Read More

  • Are Standardized Tests a Valid Measurement of Student Learning?

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many different types of standardized tests used in schools around the country, but “high-stakes” achievement tests in US elementary and secondary schools have produced the most controversy. “Measurement experts agree that no test is good enough to serve as the sole or primary basis for measuring student learning, achievement gaps, and teacher and school quality, and to impose sanctions based on test scores” (FairTest, pg. 1). The adage of the adage. First of all, standardized tests are an unreliable measure of student performance because they only measure a small portion of what makes education meaningful. According to late education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, “creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, and resourcefulness” are all qualities that standardized testing cannot measure.... ...

    Read More

  • How Standardized Testing Effects the Education

    2676 Words  | 6 Pages

    tests were primarily employed as measures of student achievement that could be reported to parents, and as a means of noting state and district trends (Moon 2) . Teachers paid little attention to these tests, which in turn had little impact on curriculum. However, in the continuing quest for better schools and high achieving students, testing has become a central focus of policy and practice. Standardized tests are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same, predetermined conditions and with consistent scoring and interpretation so that students have equal opportunities to give correct answers and receive an accurate assessment. The idea is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing result...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    Popham, W. J. (1999, March). Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality. Educational Leadership, 56(6), 8-15.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing is NOT Effective

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sacks, Peter. "The Toll Standardized Tests Take." National Education Association. 2000. Web. 2 July 2015.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Effects

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers said in “The Case Against Standardized Testing,” “Most kids I know are so anxious about the high-stakes consequences of these tests that they hate school.” (1). Further, with the absence of the classes that engage students like music or art, versus the repetition of drills and test prep, many students don’t want to learn at all (Mulholland 1-5). Effective educational environments need to provide a balance between the subjects kids enjoy, and the subjects kids need and without the balance kids associate learning with a negative experience. How do we expect children to become life-long learners when at such a young age they are already dislike school? Teachers are also feeling the pressure of standardized testing as more districts use the results of these test to determine the effectiveness of teachers and rate their performance based on testing outcomes. Added to teacher stress is the fact that legislature imposes harsh punishments on schools who do not make adequate progress or have low scores (Mulholland 1-5). These punishments include less funding or school closures all together, so administrators have no choice, but to do whatever is necessary to boost scores, even if these choices are not I the best interest of students and

    Read More

  • The Role of Testing and Assessment in Early Childhood Education

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    Solley, B. A. (2012). On Standardized Testing: An ACEI Position Paper. Childhood Education, 84(1), 31-37. Retrieved December 3, 2012, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2007.10522967

    Read More

  • The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods

    3576 Words  | 8 Pages

    The author addresses paper and pencil tests with no special accommodations, and analyses trends throughout past decades. He also writes of the new era of standardized testing and accountability. Stiggins suggests that while standardized testing may be useful and effective in some aspects, most are not used correctly and that the high-stakes put intense pressure on teachers, making it difficult to actually complete their job which is to teach students new skills. They simply spend their time reviewing already learned skills to ensure good scores on exams.

    Read More

More about Standardized Testing and Teacher Cheating

Open Document