When an educator looks at assessments it is important to look into whether that assessment has enhanced student learning, as that should be the primary intention of all forms of testing. Considering the wide range of assessments available to educators it is imperative that education-governing bodies, schools and teachers decide which assessment is going to help students achieve at their best levels and the assessment which will enhance student learning.
Standardized testing comes in many forms. It has been a part of American education since the mid 1800s. The use of these assessments grew when the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) mandated that testing should be utilized in all 50 states. Standardized testing means that a test is "administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner" (Popham, 1999). Students take the same test in the same conditions at the same time, if possible, so results can be attributed to student performance and not to differences in the school culture, administration or form of the test (Wilde, 2004). For this reason, the results of standardized tests can be compared across schools, districts, or states" (C.F. Education).
High Stakes Testing is a form of standardized testing that has consequences attached to the result. For example, it can determine graduation from high school. The AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) according to NCLB is called "high stakes" as it bares consequences to schools, teachers and students. If the results are a failure, the teachers and schools are held accountable (C.F. Education).
There are pros and cons of high stakes testing worldwide. To highlight some of the arguments the proponents in the U.S. have put forth are:
- Testing is not too stressful for students. The U.S. Department of Education stated: "Although testing may be stressful for some students, testing is a normal and expected way of assessing what students have learned each year" (U.S. Dept. of Education).
- They argue "teaching to the test" can be a good thing as it focuses on essential content and eliminates time wastage.
- The tests focus on student basic skills that need to be mastered.
- Standardized tests are fair and objective measures of student ability.
- Standardized tests are reliable and objective measures of student achievement.
- The tests ensure inclusive and nondiscriminatory content to ensure relevance for all students.
- It is not encouraging a "drill and kill" rote learning experience.
On the other hand some of the opponent views on standardized testing are:
- It is an unreliable measure of student performance.
- These tests are unfair and discriminatory against non-English speakers and students with special needs.
- Teaching to the test is killing teacher creativity along with the rote learning and memorization that is replacing effective teaching practices.
- According to OECD, the PISA results in 2012 showed the average for math, reading and science scores were 494, 496 and 501, respectively with China in first place and the U.S. in 36th place with scores 481, 498, and 497 respectively (statistics). According to the Guardian, the U.S. has slipped in its ranking from 18th in 2002, 31st place in 2009 and 26th place in 2012. Hence standardized testing has not improved student achievement.
- Standardized testing does not measure "creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, honesty and integrity" (Gerald W. Bracy, PhD).
- Excessive testing may teach children to be good at taking tests, but does not prepare them for productive adult lives (ProCon.org).
Considering all of the above, I would like to examine the standardized High Stakes testing processes in my son's school: Mary Munford Elementary School is a small elementary school (550+ students, grades 1-5). The school assessment system covers internal and external assessments that are detailed by the school district in the form of SOLs and benchmark tests. In addition the only high stakes exam that is taken yearly is the MAP Test–(Measures of Academic Progress Test). And the MAP testing has been added only recently. The results are evaluated to enhance student learning and it is not used to retain or promote students through the grades or reward or penalize teachers. The teachers do not whole heartedly focus on the test components in their instruction, however a goal during their lessons and key focus is keeping up the standards set by the district. The students are prepped only mentally to be prepared for the test by advising them on eating and sleeping well before the test date. Hence there’s no loss of instruction time in prepping students for tests. During the test week the teachers would lose out 1-2 lessons which are already embedded into the school calendar.
On completion of the test the teachers take the results apart during staff meetings and discuss intensively students on target, below target, above target, exceptional students and students with cause for concern identified through the test results. The teachers discuss in specialized grade level teams, focusing on all test results, strategies that would help to meet the class and students with needs, and what supports the teachers. They study what they might need to improve literacy across the grade levels. The students are not traumatized by this test as they are told it does not count toward their promotion to the next grade level. Once the test scores are reviewed their current support system is checked to see if students are being adequately serviced.
In comparison I would like to examine a local private school (also elementary and grades 1-5) and effects of high stakes testing in the curriculum. Having asked a fellow fourth grade teacher in that school about their testing, my views on high stake testing differ in this case. The students are prepped towards meeting these standards and more as the school curriculum policy mandates. The school administers internal tests in each grade, however, throughout the grades the ultimate goal is preparing the students for the grade level high stakes test. These exams are state mandated tests to public school and private school students. Success at the exam in the middle and high school extension of the private school will determine their entrance to universities and other higher educational options. Many teachers are driven to teach to the test throughout each grade level. Many a time it is at the expense of student creativity, motivation and developing transferable skills. There are rewards for students and recognition for teachers in schools achieving good results on the tests. The pressure that is on the students to excel at these exams is insurmountable. As indicated in the video “In modernizing India, suicide is on the rise among young” by Andrew Macaskill and Tanya Ashreena (Reuters) where an Indian student commits suicide due to pressure, although not as common, it does happen in this country due to the overwhelming stress placed on students for success.
In conclusion, the question of whether these high stakes assessments forwarded and enhanced a child’s learning continues to be debatable. In my opinion, I agree with my son's school policy of using the assessments to develop and identify student needs as a positive step towards student learning whereas the high stakes tests for entrance to higher education might need to be transformed to ensure students have a holistic learning experience.
APA Citations:
Consortium, Smarter Balanced Assessment. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. n.d. 26 June 2015 <http://www.smarterbalanced.org/about/>.
Education, Center for Public. A guide to standardized testing: The nature of assessment . 15 February 2006. 26 June 2015 <http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Evaluating-performance/A-guide-to-standardized-testing-The-nature-of-assessment>.
Education, US Department of. Testing: Frequently Asked Questions. 17 November 2014. 26 June 2015 <www.ed.gov>.
GreatSchools. The secret to comparing schools based on test scores. 5 February 2013.
Guardian, The. Pisa 2012 results: which country does best at reading, maths and science? 3 December 2013. 26 June 2015 <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/dec/03/pisa-results-country-best-reading-maths-science>.
PAARC. The PAARC Assessment. 2015. 26 June 2015 <http://www.parcconline.org/parcc-assessment>.
ProCon.Org. Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America? 4 March 2015. 26 June 2015 <http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background>.
Statistics, National Center for Education. Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Mathematics, Science, and Reading Literacy in an International Context-First Look at PISA 2012. 3 December
National Center for Fair and Open. Organizations and Experts Opposed to High Stakes Testing. 17 August 2007. 26 June 2015 <http://www.fairtest.org/organizations-and-experts-opposed-high-stakes-test
