High Stakes Testing Dilemmas

The Department of Education concludes that high-stakes testing and statewide standards puts too strain on both the teacher and student. Multiple studies show evidence of miscalculation of scores, teachers being blamed for low test score, and too much time spent on preparation for the tests. The purpose of this policy brief is to elaborate on the non-beneficial components of high-stakes testing and statewide standards. Thus, peer-reviewed research articles and evidential articles are reviewed on high-stakes testing and statewide standards. In addition, the state of Florida has shown the greatest amount of dissatisfied outcomes. The information provided in this policy brief will precisely indicate why high-stakes testing and statewide standards should be abandoned from the school system. I request the action of Congress to outlaw high-stakes testing and statewide standards for the betterment of all National citizens by passing a new law to force states away from standardized testing.

This article, "What Do Test Scores In Texas Tell US?" by the Rand Corporation looks at the pros and cons to high stakes testing in Texas. High stakes testing was meant to improve academic scores and motivate teachers, but unintended concerns have risen. Professionals and the media question exactly how beneficial these test are, and if we should continue to use them. Texas was looked at because students had made huge strides in statewide testing. "Gains in Texas Assessment and Academic Skills (TAAS) reading and math scores for both majority and minority have been so dramatic that they have dubbed the 'Texas Miracle '" (Rand, 2000). The success was so great that Texas students were put through further test to validate that these impressive scores. Students tested on the National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP) between 1994 and 1998. After comparing the scores for TAAS to the scores of NAEP many questions arose for the validity of statewide testing. Tables in the article show that the TAAS scores are differ greatly than those of the NAEP. Though the scores between the two test were much different Texas students who took the NAEP were higher than the U.S. average. Also, by 1998 the gap between the scores of white students and students of color got smaller. Questions about why the gap between the TAAS scores and the NAEP scores were so great were never directly answered. Suggestions were made that Texas teachers could more easily prepare students for the

High Stakes Testing has been overly integrated in the education systems. High-stakes testing are used to determine grade retention, school curriculum, and whether or not students will receive a high school diploma (Myers, 2015). Since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, high stakes testing has become the norm and mandating that students must pass a standardized test before moving up in grade. As a special education director, the focus is to ensure the student’s accommodations are being followed. Accommodations help increase students’ academic performance. “Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for students with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum and in testing programs to the maximum extent possible for each student (Luke and Schwartz, 2010).” Throughout the years, high stakes testing is becoming more common than ever before. The reality is high stakes testing is one indicator in evaluating children with specific needs. This paper will discuss, the violation of the statutory language regarding assessment based on IDEA, the strategies and goals of a remediation, staff training, common Core and PARCC assessment, and funding for the remediation plan under IDEA.

The Washington Post published the story “2015 Superintendent of the Year: High-stakes testing is the ‘fool’s gold’ of accountability” by Valerie Strauss on August 27 about one superintendent’s discontent with constant “high stakes testing”. Strauss was covering the story of man who was named the “2015 American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year”, Philip D. Lanoue who is the superintendent of the Clarke County School District in Georgia, which is one of the most impecunious districts in the state. Lanoue believes that the constant pattern of standardized testing in schools is completely different from what he refers to as actual “meaningful assessment” and considers the tests to be unbeneficial for students.

**Halstead, J. A. (2013). The NLN's Fair Testing Imperative and implications for faculty development. Nursing Education Perspectives, 34(2), 72.

Albert Einstein once stated, “not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” High-stakes testing attempts to determine the knowledge a person has obtained throughout grades K-12. These standardized tests are being used to judge a person’s ability to graduate from high school and also judge if a child has enough knowledge to proceed to the next grade level. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how these tests do not accurately portray one’s intelligence, how they have increased drop out rates, and also show the damaging psychological affects they have had.

Hammond, L., D., Ball, D., L. (1997). Teaching for high standards: what policymakers need to

“A student body must be composed of more than students who do well on a test. A standardized achievement test cannot measure intangibles such as a candidate's drive and individual determination” (Spiegler, 2013). Since the mid-1800s, high stakes testing has been an enormous part of American education. In the American education system, the lack of success have been held accountable on the increasing levels in poverty, universal use of high stakes testing, and quality of teachers. High stakes testing demonstrates bias against women and categories of socioeconomic variety. The SAT and ACT are unfair because wealthier citizens can afford tutors to assist students with test tips and higher scores on the exams. While in the process of applying for

Schools across the nation are eliminating programs that enhance creativity or even discussions about the current world events. They all have an identical curriculum and are set up to proceed one type of mind that processes information in one way. Thus, high-stakes testing pressures students to improve their performance. Lisa Collier states, “… So many Michigan students stayed home when their assessment tests were given last year that several high schools were threatened with loss of accreditation. In Illinois, 200 students expressed their scorn for the state's exam by showing up-and deliberately giving the wrong answers. Critics feel the students are being turned off to learning because they're being force-fed the dry facts and figures needed to excel on high-stakes tests…” The school is more about testing now, and we have turned away from creative teaching to teach a test and have unmotivated the students to achieve success.

Everyone was taught the difference between right and wrong at some point in their life, however, reinforcing such behavior is essential to ensure that people don’t lose touch as to how to make ethical decisions that may directly affect them in the future. After reviewing the TEA Code of Ethics, I believe the document reinforces ethical behavior that an educator should adhere to in a school environment. Additionally, the Code of Ethics is a set of standards that are used to judge ethical conduct. Therefore, the educator has to have a strong commitment to the students they serve as well as a strong commitment to their profession. By having a strong commitment to the students, the educator is ensuring that all students have an opportunity

Although high-stakes testing has been around for hundreds of years, we still use forms of this kind of testing in classrooms to this day. High-stakes testing is a very debated topic within the education field. Every few years at the state and federal level someone claims they have come up with a so-called new and improved way to perform standardized testing within schools, and the majority of the time the new ideas to improve high-stakes testing is created by politicians who do not have the first clue in what methods will help children learn more efficiently. I for one do not believe high-stakes testing truly measures the intelligence of a child.

Despite of the policymakers’ efforts to implement strategies in order to evaluate and enhance special education effectiveness, the high stakes testing system has several negative consequences to students, as shown at Pazey et. al. study “The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: Comparing Special Education Students’ Experiences of Accountability Reform Across Two Decades”. This qualitative case study interviewed 12 especial education students, half in 1995 and the other half 2012, after the introduction of the testing system and, later on, following two decades of implementation. According to this research, exceptional students felt marginalized when assigned to separated test preparation classes, when they failed the exams. In addition,

With student learning and achievement being the priority in education, this era of accountability and high stakes testing puts a great deal of pressure on an educational leader. Therefore, learning about data driven decision-making (3D) added another valuable tool to my leadership repertoire. Because students need to be prepared for working in the 21st century, incorporating technology into the classroom as well as using it for data purposes is a must. As I strive to close the learning gaps for students, discussing and analyzing data will be the norm. One important note learned about 3D is that it is more than just numbers and test scores. Many variables affect student grades, and as educators, we must get to the root cause of the problem, and this can be accomplished by using 3D and collaborating with fellow teachers and leaders to assess instruction and provide feedback.

Education is a key element that directs one's life to success. By having knowledge one holds the power to make goals a reality. Teachers are responsible to help goals, such as, learning to read become a reality. It is the responsibility of the teacher to give the students the best quality of education in order for the students to be able to have a positive experience as well success in life. I feel students should be given the opportunity to learn the facts, the truth, not just parts of it. I feel as an educator one needs to give the students the opportunity to

The Code of Ethics is absolutely essential for every education major to have a strong understanding of. This code presents the main rules and regulations that apply to future teachers to ensure the best behavior and actions possible, inside and outside of the classroom. It is a clear guide of unethical activities that teachers may never indulge in without risking suspension, revocation, denial, or reprimand of any teaching certificate. The code is broken down into eleven different standards which are easy for educators to understand and abide by.