Personal Experience At High Stakes Testing

She presented with anxiety, academic concern, and depressed mood. She reported that she has a habit of avoiding things that increases anxiety. She noted that her strategy in avoiding anxiety provoking situations also makes her feel stuck. She reported that she can be self-critical that it is difficult for her to motivate herself. She reported that she has been missing her classes in an attempt to avoid a stressful situation.

Despite what is causing a child to feel anxious, there is always a way to figure out what is bothering him/her. One intervention is known as ORI, which a three step intervention process: Observe, Reflect, and Intervene. Each child is unique in their own way, teachers need to observe a child's behavior and really watch his/her students closely to learn what is making him/her anxious. Then, to help the child being observed, teachers have to put past experiences together and respond appropriately to the cues

They tend to engage in distracting and negative thoughts about themselves, which prevent them from concentrating on their tasks (Zatz & Chassin, 1985). As a result, these students have difficulties learning and excelling on standardized tests. However, it is important to highlight the fact that any students, regardless of their level of intelligence or academic performance, can be adversely affected by test anxiety (Clovis, 1999). Most significantly, Clovis (1999) pointed out that these inappropriate strategies can trigger further increases in test anxiety and create a cycle of academic failure. Preliminary Literature Review

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.

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.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2016) about 6% of children in the United States suffer from a severe anxiety disorder. Other studies cite figures closer to 10% of children being affected by extreme anxiety disorders (Girling-Butcher & Ronan, 2009). While figures may vary slightly, there is no doubt that a large number of school-aged children grapple with a disorder that can disrupt and damage their functioning in schools and social situations. Chiu et al. (2013) state that anxious children can also suffer from “high rates of school refusal, poor academic performance and impairments in school functioning” (p. 142).

Anxiety is a very common disorder when it comes to students in school. There are various types of anxiety, one common example is test taking anxiety. Test taking anxiety is a nervous feeling that students have while taking a test, and sometimes before or after taking the exam. This makes it impossible for students to do their best and to show their knowledge. When students are under stress it causes them to have physical symptoms, such as sweating or rapid breathing. Students who aren't prepared for tests, but care about doing well are also likely to have test anxiety before taking any type of test. Supporters argue standardized tests effectively measure student achievement, and opponents argue that tests are good for measuring students’ performances.

The case involves Katya a freshman with a grade point average of 3.0, even though she studies tremendously before each test, but due to extreme anxiety that she experiences before all test results in her performing poorly in each test. Due to her low confidences, which result in her not believing that her effort will make a difference. The end of the semester is just around the corner and she must attain a great score in her chemistry test or it will result in her losing her scholarship. She has two days to prepare herself for the chemistry test and she knows that it will take all her strength to pull through during the test. While Katya is studying for the test due to her regular anxiety she has a panic attack while studying which has resulted

Lay, See Yeo. (2015). School based intervention for test anxiety. Child and youth care forum, 45(1), 1-17. doi:10.1007/510566-015-9314-1.

Addressing the issue of test anxiety with school students is crucial. Test anxiety is defined as feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the ability to communicate what one knows in a test situation. It can lead to school failure, poor self-esteem, and stress related physical ailments. Although it is natural to experience some degree of distress while being evaluated, some students ' previous negative experiences greatly effect their reaction to a testing experience. With the increase of testing in our schools, school counselors need to recognize the role test anxiety plays in student performance and help to implement effective strategies to assist students. It seems possible to do this through cognitive and theory, which will be discussed later in this paper. There are many effective strategies that teachers can implement to assist test anxious students. Teachers can employ formative factors, habitual prudence, purposeful learning experiences, and test-wise guidelines. Ascertaining test anxiety involves becoming more aware of the types of students with test anxiety so that they can develop, modify, and implement new repertoires in their assessment procedures. Using more formative factors in their assessment procedures lessens anxiety levels and enhances the instructional process. Finally, when teachers provide purposeful learning experiences and test-wise guidelines students are able to obtain maximum performance. Relaxation techniques and systematic

This is an article that specifically looks at anxiety in the school setting for adolescents. This article starts off with a story of a girl named Samantha. Samantha is a fourteen year old student that has test taking anxiety. She feels sweaty and would see the nurse daily because of her anxiousness. The article talks about the case of Samantha being common with many students in school. The article then goes into the different characteristics such as worry. Anxiety can manifest in three different ways: behaviorally, physiologically, and cognitively. Many different behaviors that children exhibit because of anxiety are reflected their attempts to control their anxiety. When discussing anxiety, there are different causes of anxiety and

Sitting in the guidance office on my second day of eighth grade, I could only think, “How can this be happening to me again?” I was not there because of a scheduling issue or to plan my future, but I was there having another anxiety attack. I thought I had this problem straightened out. I had already lost a serious portion of my sixth grade year to this condition. With the aid of therapy and medication, I was hopeful my condition was under control.