Curriculum-Based Testing In Schools

When interviewing Ms. Ruane a second grade teacher I learned about curriculum based testing, which is better known as high stakes testing. Throughout kindergarten through second grade teachers use testing that is dedicated to teaching to the test and to a student’s literature, or math skills. The evaluations of a student are measured based on the curriculum, and the purpose of these tests is to see how the students informal testing is observed through their academic performance. The tests Ms. Ruane uses are used throughout the district, and they are well developed by teachers, administrators and special education teachers. The committee that formulated these competency standards for educational administrators first met in 1991, (American Association …show more content…
These measurements allow teachers to evaluate students in math, reading, writing and spelling. High-quality early education produces long-lasting benefits, (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003, p. 1). The curriculum testing provides feedback for the teachers to see what students struggle with, how their students are comprehending subjects and feedback for the parents who want to know how their child is progressing. During the times of testing the students are being evaluated weekly in certain subject areas and they are compared with other classes in their grade level, while the teachers try to understand if they need to evaluate their work by re-teaching subjects that children are struggling with. Macy, Bricker and Squires (2005, p. 1) state, traditional standardized, norm-referenced assessments are used most often to determine children 's eligibility for specialized services. These traditional tests have at least two drawbacks: (a) test items and activities often do not reflect children 's functional repertoires; and (b) outcomes are difficult to link directly to goal development, intervention, and evaluation. A promising alternative is the use of an assessment approach that reflects children 's functional repertoires in familiar environments (i.e., …show more content…
In the near future teachers need to understand their students and look closely at any flaws that these tests do have. More research can be done on these tests because teachers are always learning and implementing different ways to teach to the test. Students will still use these tests in future classroom settings, but they will be improved from what they are like in 2015, then what they will be like in 2020. Suzanne Clarke talks about (2007, p. 1), nearly 30 years of empirical evidence tells us that CBM provides a valid and reliable indicator of student progress in basic academic areas, especially reading, math, and writing, and that it can have a positive impact on student achievement. Tests are ever changing, but so are students, so we need to base our test scores on what they know and integrate more technology into the learning process. Some ideas that will change these curriculum based tests are digital delivery, interest driven ideas and skills, which are known as what students should know if they were thrown out in the world by themselves. Teachers should be able to collaborate and make plans that will allow students to succeed in the near future and work with their students to make curriculum based tests that are tailored to their lesson plans. Most importantly, it is beneficial to teachers to listen and implement in their testing what their