High-stakes testing

their scores were not up to the college’s standards. Recently in the United States, the number of high stakes tests that a student must endure has increased, and, as hard as it may be to believe, the stakes have risen—both for students and teachers. It has led many to ask, are these tests even worth it? Historical Overview Many people believe that the roots of this newly expanded high stakes testing can be traced back to Russia’s…

This house believes that high stakes testing in English schools is detrimental to students, teachers and schools and does not help develop truly educated people. High stake testing is tests which establish and/or identify a student’s future education, additionally presenting consequences if a ‘good’ grade is or is not achieved. Therefore by the use of high stake testing students are being sent the message that tests are more important, than actual learning and that if something is not on a test,…

increase in high-stakes testing itself has powerful impact on “classroom learning” (Herman, Dreyfus & Goldman, 1990, p. 3) and instructional techniques (p. 8). This publication was written twelve years before No Child Left Behind was signed into law, so it represents the beneficial aspects of testing on teaching and learning without the context of No Child Left Behind to skew our thinking as a result of that contentious legislation. It might be easy to forget that the presence of these high…

High Stakes Testing Is Bringing the Schools Down Every parent wants to see their child succeed in school, and to create a life of their own; which is less likely when students spend more time testing, than learning. The students are taught to memorize the presented material, and respond to a specific question on a test to pass; although most do not understand the material and does not provide proper education to benefit them in the future.^1 Some students struggle with test taking, possibly due…

Two gross socio-economical inequalities that have manifested in public schools are the obsessive emphasis on high-stakes testing are damaging for kids in general and people who can afford to send their kids to a private school have no idea how inadequate the public school system can be. Students and schools suffer from high stress levels when their futures rest on the outcome of these tests. The parents who have the know-how, and can afford it, will find some way to get their kids into a better…

In his book, Letters to a Young Teacher, Jonathan Kozol addresses the issues with administering high-stakes tests to elementary students. High-stakes testing is one of the most controversial matters in education and, in my opinion, one of the most detrimental aspects to a child’s education. Federally mandated standardized tests prove to be an ineffective means of gauging academic success as they negatively impact the quality of instruction students receive, increase stress levels of both…

planned and trying to redeem yourself isn’t the easiest task to prove yourself. In fact, many schools, teachers, and students across Texas are losing their genuine first impression on others due to one main culprit, high stakes testing. What many don’t realize is that high stakes testing doesn’t only affect the teachers and the schools, but it affects the students even more. These test determine whether or not the students are ready for the next grade level or not, when in reality it shouldn’t…

In regards to high-stakes testing, I believe this type of assessment only shows a small portion of what a school curriculum indicates. It seems that teachers are being evaluated strictly based upon the standardized tests they administer. I do not think this would be proper representation of how well students are learning from the curriculum that is being taught by their teachers. With that said, I am all for doing away with high-stakes testing for five years. Testing is not the only method…

According to Drake, convincing evidence shows “unintended consequences of high-stakes testing (pp. 28).” These consequences include but are not limited to a narrowing of the curriculum, the failure to retain students so their knowledge can be enhanced, or an increased number of students encouraged to be placed in special education. When the stakes are held to such a high level and are attached to a person’s reputation or school funding, teachers can often resort to “teaching to the test” which…

Eva Du Period 1 A Brief History of High Stakes Testing and the No Child Left Behind Act In 1965 As a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, a domestic program that called for the federal government’s creation of new social welfare programs, Johnson implemented the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The main purpose of the ESEA was for the federal government to “supply aid for underprivileged children in schools in order to improve the performance of these students…