Why High Stakes Testing Does Not Work Essay

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High stakes testing is a concept of using assessments to make major decisions about students and to hold schools accountable. In the U.S. high stakes testing is part of a standardization process that sees students being assessed to evaluate progress; the tests not only impact whether a student will advance but also whether the school will receive incentives from the government. Because incentives are tied to achievement and the high stakes tests are used to evaluate achievement, schools teach to the tests and spend much time ensuring that students do well on them. This raises questions about the type of education students are getting.

Critics of high stakes testing believe that the method results in teaching to the test and that this—rather than real learning improvement—is the reason for test score increases. The research indicates that critics are right: Au (2007) has shown that “the primary effect of high-stakes testing is that curricular content is narrowed to tested subjects, subject area knowledge is fragmented into test-related pieces, and teachers increase the use of teacher-centered pedagogies” (p. 258). Amrein and Berliner (2002) showed in their study of high stakes testing in 18 states that test score manipulation could easily be done to affect test outcomes. Jacob (2005) showed that while scores increased in high stakes testing for, scores did not improve on low stakes exams following the implementation of No Child Left Behind.

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Jacob (2005) also found that teachers were focusing their attention on the high stakes tests because of the accountability factors attached to these tests. In other words, the research shows that the critics are correct in their assessment of high stakes testing.

Arguments for why the use of high stakes tests to measure learning are effective are not absent. Proponents say that these tests ensure that a standard across the board is being reached and that students are being held to the same standards no matter what part of the country or state they are in. They say that this helps guarantee that educational goals are being met. Others say that high stakes tests promote accountability: schools are held accountable for student achievement. Since it is the job of the schools to educate, these tests measure not only student performance but also serve as a signal of how well schools are performing at their job. A third argument for high stakes testing is that it improves the level of education that students are obtaining. It provides a focused assessment that has been developed by scholars and professionals to indicate what areas should be focused on in education.

Arguments against the use of high stakes testing to measure learning are also present of course, as the research….....

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