A Qualitative Analysis of High-Stakes Testing

A Qualitative Analysis of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: McGroarty John
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
ISBN: 9783659821257
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Once viewed as a way to establish educational placement, high-stakes testing is used to establish benchmarks for success within school systems. Within a local Utah school district, raising these benchmarks has been deliberated due to a steady decline in Grade 8 language arts scores, which has heightened concerns among local school administrators and teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of teachers on how to improve declining Grade 8 language arts test scores. Based on the theoretical concepts of constructivism, 3 research questions were created to examine the underlying factors of the steady decline in Grade 8 language arts test scores, teachers' perceptions of decline in Grade 8 test scores, and current instructional practices. This book is a culmination of research and study over the last four years. Enjoy

A Qualitative Analysis of High-Stakes Testing

A Qualitative Analysis of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: McGroarty John
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
ISBN: 9783659821257
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Get Book Here

Book Description
Once viewed as a way to establish educational placement, high-stakes testing is used to establish benchmarks for success within school systems. Within a local Utah school district, raising these benchmarks has been deliberated due to a steady decline in Grade 8 language arts scores, which has heightened concerns among local school administrators and teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of teachers on how to improve declining Grade 8 language arts test scores. Based on the theoretical concepts of constructivism, 3 research questions were created to examine the underlying factors of the steady decline in Grade 8 language arts test scores, teachers' perceptions of decline in Grade 8 test scores, and current instructional practices. This book is a culmination of research and study over the last four years. Enjoy

The Unintended Consequences of High-stakes Testing

The Unintended Consequences of High-stakes Testing PDF Author: M. Gail Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742526273
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
To understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book looks at the consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public, and demonstrates the negative effects of such testing on nontested subjects, minority students, and students with special needs.

The High Stakes of Testing

The High Stakes of Testing PDF Author: Amy L. Kelly
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004401369
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
The High Stakes of Testing explores student experiences and perceptions of standardized testing through a governmentality lens informed by critical pedagogy. This research exposes prevalent mechanisms of control, adverse effects, and the urgency of student voice work in our schools.

The Testing Charade

The Testing Charade PDF Author: Daniel Koretz
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022640871X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
America's leading expert in educational testing and measurement openly names the failures caused by today's testing policies and provides a blueprint for doing better. 6 x 9.

The Paradoxes of High Stakes Testing

The Paradoxes of High Stakes Testing PDF Author: Michael Russell
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1607529831
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
As a nation, we spend more than $1 billion a year on federally mandated educational tests that 30 million students must take each year. The country spends an additional $1.2 billion on test preparation materials designed to help students pass these tests. While test mandates were put in place with good intentions, increasingly educational leaders and policy makers are questioning these test based reform efforts. Some question whether these programs are doing more harm than good. Others call for the development of more and better tests. Given the vast amount of resources our nation pours into testing, is it time we pay closer attention to these testing programs? Is it time we hold the testing industry and policy makers accountable for the tests they make and use? Is it time we invest resources to develop new ways of testing our students? The Paradoxes of High-Stakes Testing explores these and other questions, as it helps parents, teachers, educational leaders, and policy makers better understand the complexities of educational policies that use tests as a lever for improving the quality of education. The book explores: >> how testing is used to enable teachers and schools to be more effective and improve student learning, >> why testing is so ingrained in the American psyche and why policy makers rely on testing policies to reform our educational system, >> what we can learn from a long history of test-based reform efforts that have occurred over centuries and across continents, >> what effects testing has on teaching and learning in our schools when it is used to solve political, social, or economic problems. Most importantly, the book describes several ways in which testing can be improved to provide more accurate and more useful measures of student learning. Many of these improvements capitalize on technology to provide teachers with more detailed, diagnostic information about student learning and measure skills that some leaders argue are essential for the 21st century work force. Exploring what is within reach is critical because current testing policies are hindering these improvements. Finally, given that testing is and will continue to be an integral part of our educational system, the book concludes that, like other sectors of our society, educational testing must be more closely monitored to ensure that high quality tests are used to measure student achievement and to minimize the negative effects that testing has on students, schools, and our society. Given the opportunity our nation has to rethink and redesign its testing policies, The Paradoxes of High-Stakes Testing presents a clear strategy to maximize the positive effects of educational testing.

High Stakes

High Stakes PDF Author: Committee on Appropriate Test Use
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309524954
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
Everyone is in favor of "high education standards" and "fair testing" of student achievement, but there is little agreement as to what these terms actually mean. High Stakes looks at how testing affects critical decisions for American students. As more and more tests are introduced into the country's schools, it becomes increasingly important to know how those tests are used--and misused--in assessing children's performance and achievements. High Stakes focuses on how testing is used in schools to make decisions about tracking and placement, promotion and retention, and awarding or withholding high school diplomas. This book sorts out the controversies that emerge when a test score can open or close gates on a student's educational pathway. The expert panel: Proposes how to judge the appropriateness of a test. Explores how to make tests reliable, valid, and fair. Puts forward strategies and practices to promote proper test use. Recommends how decisionmakers in education should--and should not--use test results. The book discusses common misuses of testing, their political and social context, what happens when test issues are taken to court, special student populations, social promotion, and more. High Stakes will be of interest to anyone concerned about the long-term implications for individual students of picking up that Number 2 pencil: policymakers, education administrators, test designers, teachers, and parents.

The Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices

The Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices PDF Author: Tracie L. Pollard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303917462
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 135

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Book Description
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all schools to be accountable for student performance. High-stakes accountability represents a growing concern among the field of education. Literature supports that teachers are vital to the success of students; however, the impact of high-stakes testing on instructional practice is changing the way teachers' approach teaching and learning. In an effort to identify the instructional practices being used to support high-stakes accountability mandates, a qualitative study was conducted to identify the perceptions of teachers and administrators of the impact high-stakes testing has on instructional practices. Ten third through fifth grade teachers and administrators in north central Wyoming were selected as participants of the study. At the completion of the in-depth interviewing process, qualitative data was analyzed into major themes using the participants' in-depth interview responses. Three major themes emerged as a result of the data analysis: Systems, Implementation, and Professional Response. More specifically, the study discusses how the accountability system impacts instructional practice and curriculum implementation and professional responses to the accountability mandate set by legislators. Analysis of the data revealed teachers and administrators spend time preparing for high-stakes tests; however, students' well-being and intellectual growth were more of a priority. Teachers and administrators claimed they were not willing to compromise students' learning for an assessment that is unreliable and an invalid measure of what students' actually know. In this study, it was concluded that the general consensus to the perceptions of teachers and administrators of the impact high-stakes testing has on instructional practices is minimal. Although teachers and administrators shared concerns about the accountability system, its implementation, and their professional realities, teachers and administrators spoke more about employing best instructional practices to ensure students will be successful citizens. Lastly, this study concludes with future research recommendations, which will be of interest to other researchers and educators.

Understanding High-Stakes Assessments

Understanding High-Stakes Assessments PDF Author: Bridget Amory
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783836441599
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
This study utilizes qualitative research in examining children's understandings of the impact of high-stakes testing. Research questions are centered on the children and their understanding and perceptions of assessment and themselves as learners. Data sources include interviews, observations, field notes, and children's artwork reflecting their testing experiences. Recommendations for future research include additional studies regarding the impact of high-stake assessments, early childhood developmentally appropriate testing, student anxiety and motivation, educational climate and outside expectations, and student performance and confidence. This research is directed to those who are interested in student motivation, performance and confidence. In particular, the findings may appeal to policymakers involved with decisions regarding high-stake assessments, especially those concerned with our youngest learners.

An Examination of the Content Validity of a High-Stakes English Test

An Examination of the Content Validity of a High-Stakes English Test PDF Author: Serine Poghosyan
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
ISBN: 9783848499861
Category :
Languages : de
Pages : 148

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Book Description
Content validity evidence is vital in any testing situation, and in high-stakes testing in particular. The present work reviews the findings of the study carried out on the evaluation of test validity of standardized high-stakes tests in EFL settings in the light of the English Unified School-leaving and University Entrance Exam (USL & UEE). In this research, emphasis was on the evaluation and measurement of the content validity of the mentioned test through statistical procedures and qualitative analysis. Being a new implementation in Armenia, the unified tests more than ever needed to be investigated from the point of view of their validity and reliability, since they may have served as a model for the further improvement of entrance examinations. The test was claimed to have been designed to measure the level of proficiency of EFL students within the scope of secondary school program in Armenia. To determine the extent to which the content of USL & UEE was consistent with the English language program the present study was performed.

High Stakes Testing

High Stakes Testing PDF Author: Louis J. Kruger
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136864504
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
Meet the challenges of high stakes testing in the practice of school psychology School psychologists can be a positive influence on how students, teachers, parents, schools, and communities cope with the challenges and opportunities associated with high stakes testing. Unfortunately, there has been a significant lack of literature to guide school psychologists and related school-based practitioners on this topic. High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology is a timely groundbreaking book that provides useful and thought-provoking information to help psychologists meet the challenges of high stakes testing and create new roles for themselves in helping children succeed. This book discusses practical ways to help provide academic support to facilitate student success on high stakes tests, reduce the impact of stress associated with high stakes testing, assess the data from the tests to improve programs, and take a leadership role in the appropriate use of the tests. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) and its accountability provisions has helped create and sustain a climate where student performance on state-created achievement tests often has high stakes implications for students, families, and schools. High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology provides important background information about high stakes testing, including the legal, historical, and political context of high stakes testing, pertinent psychometrics, and a review of research on academic and non-academic outcomes as it relates to high stakes testing. Using this information as a foundation, the book then identifies new roles and opportunities for school psychologists with respect to high stakes testing. This book is comprehensively referenced. Topics in High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology include: advocating for the appropriate use of state-wide assessments the influence of item response theory (IRT) on the development of high stakes tests whether the accountability system of NCLB is truly improving student’s learning the impact of high stakes tests on classroom instruction and student motivation strategies for helping students succeed on high stakes tests available resources to cope with the stress of high stakes testing and more High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology is a thought-provoking, horizon-expanding resource for school psychologists, public school educators, administrators, school counselors, curriculum coordinators, and special education teachers involved in organizing, administering, and preparing students to take high stakes tests.