BYKERRY SOWATSKY

High-Stakes Standardized Testing

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A Brief Introduction

MEAP

Teaching to the Test

Taking the fun out of learning?

Is it worth it?

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What Is High-Stakes Testing?

A Test vs. High-Stakes Test

What are these decisions?

Wait, there’s more!

Federal History

1980s President Reagan

1990s President George H.W. Bush President Clinton

2000s President George W. Bush

Legislative History

“A Nation A Risk”

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

New ESEA No Child Left Behind

(NCLB)

“…the trajectory of education reforms into the 1990s was set, where forty-three states had statewide assessments for k-5 by 1994, and by the year 2000 every state but Iowa administered a state mandated test” -Au 

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Centers on high-stakes testing

Emphasis on reading and math

Harsh consequences

Won’t be changes, as of now

What Are Some Resulting Factors?

Classroom Control Curriculum Pedagogy

Social Studies “Disappearing subject”

Impact on Literacy

“High-stakes standardized testing can greatly influence the teaching of reading and writing” (Higgins).

Writing is an ongoing process.

Better test scores?

Opinions From The Field

Nothing will change anytime soon

Varying Good - Higgins Bad - Au

“…testing has become firmly entrenched as the policy tool, bar none, for federal enforcement of educational reforms.”-Au

What’s The Bottom Line?

High-stakes Standardized Tests… Are accurate Teach students general

knowledge Are not all the same

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References - Images

Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/csessums/4405490016/ Author: cdsessums, File Name: Empty Classroom.jpg

Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/anspach/63118519/ Author: Schnittke, File Name: Pencil.jpg

Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/conspirator/31355171/Author:Conspirator, File Name: Hallway.jpg

Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2474926476/Author: kevindooley, File Name: Bus.jpg

Resources – Works Cited

Au, Wayne. “Social Studies, Social Justice: W(h)ither the Social Studies in High-Stakes Testing?” Teacher Education

Quarterly 36.1 (2009). 43. Web. 16 February 2010.

Higgins, Betty, et. al. “Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirement in Writing: High-Quality,

Evidence-Based Instruction Need Not Be Sacrificed in Preparing Students to Succeed on Standardized Writing Assignments.” The Reading Teacher 60.4 (2006). 310. Web. 16 February 2010.

“Testing High Stakes Tests: Can We Believe The Results of Accountability Tests?” Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Greene, Jay P. n.p. : February 2003. Web. 16 February 2010.