High-Stakes Testing Essay

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

impacted my life. Tests have been a part of my education since I can remember, but to be more specific on the assessment type, I know high-stakes testing a little too well. When I started school, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 was new and at the center

to rely on testing in an effort to meet accountability required at the state level. Calls for accountability seem to usually rise from the political community. When the political community demands that tests serve high-stakes accountability functions, professional testing standards can be easily compromised. “In accountability contexts, test results decide which students are retained in grade, held back from graduation, and assigned to tracks or special classifications…high-stakes testing produces

Testing accommodations for high-stakes tests have recently become a topic of conversation among state and federal legislators. In addition to those higher up, classroom teachers of exceptional students (special needs) have begun to question the validity of tests for their students. Due to the rising number of high-stakes tests that are administered, there have been a number of research studies completed in order to help prove whether or not accommodations are even worth the time. Accommodations

into the multitude of students we teach. This obligation is not only directed toward our work with students but is indicative of how we should strive to function each and every day as educators serving with high ethical standards. There is a lot of pressure on teacher during the high-stakes testing season but this should not influence educators to behave in any manner that would be unethical for any reason. I am pleased and relieved to say that I have not witnessed blatant cheating as I have operated

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

Without Relying on High-Stakes Testing The names are familiar to most parents: No Child Left Behind, Common Core State Standards, Race to the Top. These initiatives and others signify the importance of education in the United States and the many ways in which the standards have been set throughout the last couple of decades. The early childhood education community has felt the pressure to meet benchmarks set forth by these initiatives just as much as elementary, middle school, and high school teachers

leadership style has been the accepted norm with the principal as the figurehead of the school. In the past, the principal served the role of a manager and not a leader. However, in today’s changing educational climate of accountability and high stakes testing, the principal’s role continues to evolve into one of an instructional leader first who also has managerial duties. Cheney and Davis (2011) acknowledge this changing role stating “The job has evolved into a highly complex and demanding

High stakes testing, also known as standardized testing, is designed to test students understanding of course content. There is much discussion as to whether high stakes is effective or a waste of time and money. High stakes testing should be eliminated because it isn't a valid measurement of student achievement and it hinders student's learning experiences and negatively affects teachers. Standardized testing doesn't efficiently measure student's achievement or understanding of the curriculum.

High-Stakes Tests Detrimental to American Public Education In its beginnings American public education was a rather revolutionary concept. This conception—which was cemented upon the notion that education should be free and compulsory to the masses—was scoffed at by many in the elite class however, this was the age of enlightenment thinkers and America’s founding fathers came to a significant conclusion; If America was to survive as a democratic nation its citizens would need to be more informed