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The Effects of High-Stake Testing

This document discusses the history and effects of high-stakes standardized testing in education. It begins with a brief history of standardized testing from ancient China to its modern use. It then outlines major acts and reports that increased the use of standardized testing in US schools, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and No Child Left Behind. The document concludes that high-stakes testing puts tremendous pressure on teachers and students, leading to teaching focused on test preparation and drill. It also negatively impacts disadvantaged schools, gifted students, and overall student learning.

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132 views16 pages

The Effects of High-Stake Testing

This document discusses the history and effects of high-stakes standardized testing in education. It begins with a brief history of standardized testing from ancient China to its modern use. It then outlines major acts and reports that increased the use of standardized testing in US schools, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and No Child Left Behind. The document concludes that high-stakes testing puts tremendous pressure on teachers and students, leading to teaching focused on test preparation and drill. It also negatively impacts disadvantaged schools, gifted students, and overall student learning.

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The Effects of High-Stake Testing

Tammy R. Grant
May 5, 2015
EPSY 5930
Webster University

On April 1st, while watching CBSN


world News I received the shock of
my life, eleven of twelve teachers
in the Atlanta schools accused of
being involved in a cheating scandal
were
being
convicted
on
racketeering charges. Not only was
I shocked but my heart sanked for
each teacher and administrator
(Nair, 2015)

This report plunged me into asking the simplest questions as an educator. I searched myself to
inquire:
What is standardized testing?
Where did the process of standardized testing begin?
Why do I/we test students?
How does the process of standardized testing empower my students?
How does the process of standardized testing empower me as an educator?
How does the score impact the student, their family and their community?
How does the score impact the school and the school district?
Why is so much emphasis place on standardized test?

The answers to these questions are


the foundation/purpose of this
research. High-stake testing has
horrendous effects on our
educational community and how
we function.

History of Standardized Testing


Han Dynasty (206 B.C 220 A.D) - Imperial Examination (Civil Service Exam). This was
an oral examination that was administered by the emperor (Jiano, 2013).
Sui Dynasty (581 -618 AD) - the Imperial Examination took form of a standardized test.

Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon (1905) - Binet-Simon Intelligence Test.

Lewis Terman (1916) Stanford University psychologist, standardized the Binet-Simon test
using American Participants, which is now known as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
(Becker, 2003)
Robert Yerkes (1917) Developed the Army Alpha Beta Intelligence test
James Bryant Conant (1933 -1937) President of Harvard University. Founder of ETS.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who believed that "full educational opportunity"
should be "our first national goal." The law offered new grants to districts serving
low-income students, federal grants for text and library books, it created special
education centers, and created scholarships for low-income college students.
Additionally, the law provided federal grants to state educational agencies to
improve the quality of elementary and secondary education (Reauthorizing the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 2015).


A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reformisthe1983report

conducted by National Commission on Excellence in Education.The36


pagereport,foundfewsignsofencouragementabouttheAmericaneducationsystem.
SitingthatTestscoreswererapidlydeclining,lowteachingsalariesandpoorteacher
trainingprogramswereleadingtoahighturnoverrateamongeducators,andother
industrializedcountrieswerethreateningtooutpaceAmericastechnological
superiority.Thereportprovidedmoundsofstatisticalevidence23millionAmerican
adultswerefunctionallyilliterate;theaverageachievementforhighschoolstudentson
standardizedtestswaslowerthanbeforethelaunchofSputnikin1957;andonlyonefifthof17-yearoldstudentshadtheabilitytowriteapersuasiveessay(GRAHAM,
2013).

TheNo Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB)isaUnitedStatesActof


CongressthatisareauthorizationoftheElementaryandSecondary
EducationAct,whichincludedTitleI.TheNCLBActrequiresstatesto
developassessmentsinbasicskills.Toreceivefederalschoolfunding,
statesmustgivetheseassessmentstoallstudentsatselectgradelevels.
TheActdoesnotassertanationalachievementstandard.Eachindividual
statedevelopsitsownstandards.NCLBexpandedthefederalroleinpublic
educationthroughannualtesting,annualacademicprogress,reportcards,
teacherqualifications,andfundingchanges(No Child Left Behind, 2015)

Effect of High-stake Testing:

Teachers and students feel a tremendous amount of pressure associated with


high-stakes testing to produce high student test scores.
The pressure felt by teachers associated with high-stakes testing results in drill
and practice type of curriculum and instruction.
There appears to be a consistent increase in test preparation activities in the
period immediately preceding the administration of a test, ending abruptly
following the test.
Teachers generally perceive a top-down filtering of test-related pressure,
beginning with central office administrators down to the classroom level.

Effect of High-stake Testing (cont):


The pressure felt by high-stakes testing is greater in disadvantaged schools and results in
more drill and practice instruction.
Parents tend to not trust the abilities of school officials to educate their children. Which
leads them to transfer them to better schools.
Schools are closed and children are bused outside of their communities. There is a firm
belief among teachers in both low-stakes and high-stakes testing environments that the
pressure to improve student scores is steadily increasing.
Gifted and talented students feel pressure to perform well to bring up all scores, which can
often result in disengagement from the learning process.
Many gifted students report frustration and resentment at the slow pace of learning and
repetitive nature of test preparation.
It appears that the current high-stakes testing movement affects gifted students by
providing a curricular ceiling that is well below their own academic potential

Effect of High-stake Testing contd:

Teachers and students feel a tremendous amount of pressure associated with highstakes testing to produce high student test scores.
The pressure felt by teachers associated with high-stakes testing results in drill and
practice type of curriculum and instruction.
There appears to be a consistent increase in test preparation activities in the period
immediately preceding the administration of a test, ending abruptly following the
test.
Teachers generally perceive a top-down filtering of test-related pressure, beginning
with central office administrators down to the classroom level.

References
Becker, K. A. (2003). History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and
psychometrics. In (Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service
Bulletin No. 1). (pp. 1-3). Itasca, Il: Riverside Publishing.
GRAHAM, E. (2013, April 25). A Nation at Risk Turns 30: Where Did It Take Us? Retrieved
from neaToday:
http://neatoday.org/2013/04/25/a-nation-at-risk-turns-30-where-did-it-take-us-2/
Jiano, B. (2013, June 6). SIT FOR THE EXAM, FIGHT FOR THE RANK. Retrieved from The
World of China :
http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2013/06/sit-for-the-exam-fight-for-the-rank/
Nair, V. (2015, April 1). Teachers in Atlanta cheating scandal hear verdicts. Retrieved from
CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-public-schools-teachers-convicted-test-cheating-sc
andal/
No Child Left Behind. (2015, April 4). Retrieved from United States Department of
Education: http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

References (cont)
Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (2015, April 4). Retrieved from
United StatesDepartment of Education: http://www.ed.gov/esea
STANDARDIZED TESTS: TERMS & DEFINITIONS. (2015, April 13). Retrieved from Time out for
Excessive and highstake testing.org: http://timeoutfromtesting.org/doedefinitions.php
Tonya R. Moon, C. M. (2015, April 10). State Standardized Testing Programs: Their Effects
on Teachers and Students. Retrieved from The National Research Center on the Gifted and
Talented : http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/moonbrja.html

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