The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing

The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: Gail M. Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1461715474
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language. The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives. Features: -Examines how high stakes testing from the perspectives of teachers, students, and adminstrators. -Considers how testing impacts the curriculum including tested subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics as well as non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. -Documents how teachers and administrators engage in test preparation and discusses ethical and unethical test preparation practices. -Reviews the evolution of testing through history and how it mpacts the curriculum. -Examines the differential effects of testing on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.

The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing

The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: Gail M. Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1461715474
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language. The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives. Features: -Examines how high stakes testing from the perspectives of teachers, students, and adminstrators. -Considers how testing impacts the curriculum including tested subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics as well as non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. -Documents how teachers and administrators engage in test preparation and discusses ethical and unethical test preparation practices. -Reviews the evolution of testing through history and how it mpacts the curriculum. -Examines the differential effects of testing on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.

Understanding Dropouts

Understanding Dropouts PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309170583
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Get Book Here

Book Description
The role played by testing in the nation's public school system has been increasing steadily-and growing more complicated-for more than 20 years. The Committee on Educational Excellence and Testing Equity (CEETE) was formed to monitor the effects of education reform, particularly testing, on students at risk for academic failure because of poverty, lack of proficiency in English, disability, or membership in population subgroups that have been educationally disadvantaged. The committee recognizes the important potential benefits of standards-based reforms and of test results in revealing the impact of reform efforts on these students. The committee also recognizes the valuable role graduation tests can potentially play in making requirements concrete, in increasing the value of a diploma, and in motivating students and educators alike to work to higher standards. At the same time, educational testing is a complicated endeavor, that reality can fall far short of the model, and that testing cannot by itself provide the desired benefits. If testing is improperly used, it can have negative effects, such as encouraging school leaving, that can hit disadvantaged students hardest. The committee was concerned that the recent proliferation of high school exit examinations could have the unintended effect of increasing dropout rates among students whose rates are already far higher than the average, and has taken a close look at what is known about influences on dropout behavior and at the available data on dropouts and school completion.

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

Get Book Here

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.

Educators' Perceptions of the Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices in Mathematics

Educators' Perceptions of the Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices in Mathematics PDF Author: Gail Carroll Peck
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Elementary
Languages : en
Pages : 117

Get Book Here

Book Description
High-stakes testing remains one of the most controversial aspects of No Child Left Behind legislation. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of teachers regarding the impact of high-stakes testing on instructional practices in the area of mathematics. A secondary purpose was to explore the relationship between personal beliefs and instructional practices. For the purpose of this study, the standardized test utilized was Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), which significantly differed from most high-stakes tests in that it is a diagnostic growth measure. Forty first and second grade teachers completed two surveys utilizing a forced choice format, one indicating personal beliefs and one indicating actual practices. Participants also completed a Likert scale survey to identify perceptions specifically related to mathematics instruction, student engagement, and assessment. Teachers also responded to interview probes. Common threads emerged in the reviewed literature. The majority of researchers identified narrowing of the curriculum, loss of teacher efficacy, increased teacher and student stress, and a move back to a traditional 'skill and drill' methodology as the major consequences of high-stakes testing. Results obtained in this study supported previous research. Three themes emerged in this study: a) change occurred in actual practice more significantly in instructional practice than student engagement practices, b) the impact was not as negative as teachers perceived, and c) teachers had a significant emotional response to the culture of high-stakes testing.

The Testing Charade

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

Get Book Here

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 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

Get Book Here

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.

High-Stakes Testing in Education

High-Stakes Testing in Education PDF Author: Theo Eggen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317682122
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Get Book Here

Book Description
High-stakes educational testing is a global phenomenon which is increasing in both scale and importance. Assessments are high-stakes when there are serious consequences for one or more stakeholders. Historically, tests have largely been used for selection or for providing a ‘licence to practise’, making them high-stakes for the test takers. Testing is now also used for the purposes of improving standards of teaching and learning and of holding schools accountable for their students’ results. These tests then become high-stakes for teachers and schools, especially when they have to meet externally imposed targets. More recent has been the emergence of international comparative testing, which has become high-stakes for governments and policy makers as their education systems are judged in relation to the performances of other countries. In this book we draw on research which examines each of these uses of high-stakes testing. The articles evaluate the impact of such assessments and explore the issues of value and fairness which they raise. To underline the international appeal of high-stakes testing the studies are drawn from Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, former Soviet republics and North America. Collectively they illustrate the power of high-stakes assessment in shaping, for better or for worse, policy making and schooling. This book was originally published as a special issue of Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice.

Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education

Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education PDF Author: Laura S. Hamilton
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833033980
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Get Book Here

Book Description
Test-based accountability systems that attach high stakes to standardized test results have raised a number of issues on educational assessment and accountability. Do these high-stakes tests measure student achievement accurately? How can policymakers and educators attach the right consequences to the results of these tests? And what kinds of tradeoffs do these testing policies introduce? This book responds to the growing emphasis on high-stakes testing and offers recommendations for more-effective test-based accountability systems.

International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching

International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching PDF Author: Lawrence J. Saha
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387733175
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 1192

Get Book Here

Book Description
The International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching provides a fresh look at the ever changing nature of the teaching profession throughout the world. This collection of over 70 articles addresses a wide range of issues relevant for understanding the present educational climate in which the accountability of teachers and the standardized testing of students have become dominant.

High-stakes Teaching

High-stakes Teaching PDF Author: Terri Hebert
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1578868807
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 133

Get Book Here

Book Description
Based upon the research of 45 interviews conducted in Texas and Arkansas, High-Stakes Teaching presents strategies that successfully blend child-centered and test-centered teaching into one focus, creating a consistently high-quality instructional environment. The teachers described offer their students an invitation to enter the realm of learning expectantly. Through their words, we visualize the educational scaffolding process, as students foster a love and an appreciation of critical thinking that promises to remain long after the last test question has been answered. Best practices emerge and are shared with the reader. Reflective questions and commentaries provide educators an opportunity to investigate their own philosophies of accountability testing and its place in the classroom. This study offers the support and guidelines necessary to break the cycle of "teaching to the test." Let each educator teach so that every child can become an engaged learner, an explorer, an individual who recognizes and respects the opportunities available from gaining a real education that is not merely a cookie-cutter mantra.