...Critical Review of Cizek, Gregory J. (2005). High-Stakes Testing: Contexts, Characteristics, Critiques, and Consequences In Richard Phelps (Ed.), Defending Standardized Testing (pp. 23-54). New York, New York: Psychological Press. By Cheryl LeBlanc-Weldon When I decided to delve into the issue of high-stakes testing, I purposefully set out to find its defenders. Critical thinking is important to me and part of the process of thinking critically is to view a variety of perspectives on an issue in order to obtain an informed understanding and from that, an opinion. As an experienced educator, I have participated in standardized testing in a variety of ways. I have administered and graded tests in both Mathematics and Language Arts. I believe that currently in Nova Scotia we don’t have the type of high-stakes testing they have in the USA and other parts of the world. Our students do not need to achieve a certain level of achievement on the standardized tests they take in order to grade and teachers are not fired or have their salaries docked when students fail to achieve the benchmarks. Still, the provincial tests our students write do have a degree of importance in that the results are published for media and public consumption (which directly affects the opinion people form of the health of our education system) and certain resources are channeled into schools with the weakest performance. In addition, the way students view themselves and their abilities are affected...
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...diminish dropout rates. Clemmitt, M. (2007, July 13). Students under stress. CQ Researcher, 17, 577–600. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/ This article discusses the pressure that students face in public schools today. Homework has increased, as has stress caused by high-stakes standardized testing. This type of pressure results in less time for children to play, sleep, and interact with their parents. The solution is to limit the time children spend on homework, but given that American students lag behind their international peers in tests of basic subjects, decreasing schoolwork seems not to be the answer. Although Clemmitt is a journalist and not an expert on the subject, she cites many experts and authoritative sources to lend credibility to the article, including books and surveys from education researchers and college professors. The article provides a balanced view of homework with arguments from experts across the country. My assessment: The article indicates that standardized testing discourages teachers, and the pressure to perform on these tests results in teachers transferring the pressure onto their students. This idea can be used to support the argument that these...
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...The Writing Process 5/2/14 Standardized Testing These days, if a school's standardized test scores are high, people think the school's staff is effective. If a school's standardized test scores are low, they see the school's staff as ineffective. In either case, because educational quality is being measured by the wrong scale, those evaluations are apt to be in error. One of the main reasons that students' standardized test scores continue to be the most important factor in evaluating a school is deceptively simple. Most educators do not really understand why a standardized test provides a misleading estimate of a school staff's effectiveness, as well as education quality for students. Standardized test are not effective measurements of a student’s knowledge, they create negative impacts on curriculum, and they are racially, socially, and economically biased. A standardized test is any examination that's administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests. “Standardized aptitude tests predict how well students are likely to perform in some subsequent educational setting (SAT-I /ACT), both of which attempt to forecast how well high school students will perform in college. But standardized achievement-test scores are what citizens and school board members rely on when they evaluate a school's effectiveness.” (Popham) One of the most important reasons that students’ performances...
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...public schools continue standardized testing? The United States government implemented the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), signed into law on January 8, 2002 by President George W. Bush (US Government Printing Office, 2002). This Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills. In order to receive federal school funding, states must give these assessments to all students at select grade levels. The Act does not assert a national achievement standard. Each state develops its own standards (US Government Printing Office, 2002). Since the creation of this act, various debates challenge the practical use of the standardized tests. The debate presented for this paper is an argument, “Should public schools continue standardized testing?” The favorable arguments are that the standardized tests are fair, backed by parents, improves the quality of the curriculum, and the usage of standardized tests outside of the public education system. The arguments against standardized testing are stereotyping poor performing students, testing anxiety, low morale with teachers, and basing teacher evaluations on student performance. Additionally, ethical, moral and legal issues are identified in relation to standardized testing and their effects on high-stakes testing. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the given arguments, both for and against standardized testing from different sources and to conclude with a consensus of the arguments with the authors of this paper. A...
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...Standardized Testing: Harmful to Learning Standardized Testing: Harmful to Learning Currently impressionable youth are receiving test results that may seem of little consequence to most but to them it says they are not good enough, or smart enough. Many students have received these results and felt the disappointment it can bring not only to their academic life but also how it melts into their self-esteem and self-worth. Even a teacher feeling they have failed there students, being unable to achieve certain marks knowing students will suffer not only academically but also loose funding for programs that they so desperately need or want. These negative connotations along with incidents of impropriety have come to light in the process of standardized testing in our schools across the nations. Standardized testing has created a test driven education, altering teaching strategies with a higher stress environment for not only teachers but students as well, and has great consequences for all involved if they fail to meet mandated scores. History of Testing Testing isn’t new to education yet it has changed dramatically from where it started many years ago. The history of testing dates back for many centuries for many different reasons including our military, but most are centered on education and its effectiveness as a whole. When the military introduced aptitude tests they where to help find suitable candidates for positions such as officers, and other special...
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...Practicality-This is probably by far, the biggest argument in favor of standardized tests. Aspects include: o Standardized tests are less time-consuming than more complicated assessments that need personal time with every student. o Standardized tests are easier to administer. There are explicit directions given and each student is given the same directions in the same way. o They are easier to grade, machines do it for us. o Very easy to use a computer to track progress and levels of achievement for different groups of students in different subjects. (Holloway) • Objectivity-It is very easy for a test to be objective, it doesn't have emotion or moods or biases. When giving more personal assessments, it is very possible that the teacher or person assessing the student can let their emotions or biases affect how they score that student. • Instigator of change-Standardized tests can be a powerful tool to change classroom and school practices (Gardner). We can use testing to tell us whether we have a problem (Gerstner). When we identify a problem in a classroom, school, or district we can then take active steps in correcting that problem. In addition, achievement data from tests provide teachers with valuable information to improve classroom and student learning (Gardner) • Accountability-Setting high expectations for students and holding them accountable for the same standards, leads to achievement gains. High-stakes testing forces students to take education seriously. (Nathan)...
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...Quantitative research methods in educational planning Series editor: Kenneth N.Ross Module John Izard 6 Overview of test construction UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning Quantitative research methods in educational planning These modules were prepared by IIEP staff and consultants to be used in training workshops presented for the National Research Coordinators who are responsible for the educational policy research programme conducted by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). The publication is available from the following two Internet Websites: http://www.sacmeq.org and http://www.unesco.org/iiep. International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO 7-9 rue Eugène-Delacroix, 75116 Paris, France Tel: (33 1) 45 03 77 00 Fax: (33 1 ) 40 72 83 66 e-mail: information@iiep.unesco.org IIEP web site: http://www.unesco.org/iiep September 2005 © UNESCO The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission ...
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...Measuring a Student’s Potential There is a moment in everyone’s life that occurs junior year of High School. It is the moment that will determine someone’s chances of getting into college…or not. It is a basis for measuring a student’s performance academically and also their general knowledge and logic. It is a standardized curriculum that every student takes, un-biased or composed by different teachers. It is the SAT or in other words, the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Full of multiple choice and open ended questions, students complete the exam anywhere between 5 to 8 hours and their scores are submitted during their college application process. The results will stay with them for a lifetime, either benefitting or bewildering them. Some get into Yale, while others settle for a less expensive and well known university. Then there are those that don’t attend college. But, the impact of the exam seems to hit hard at the heart. If someone scores poorly, they may think they aren’t smart enough or they did something wrong. Those who invented the SAT had every intention of measuring intelligence without any bias; everyone takes the same test so there is no complication. The impact of this is stress and feelings of doubt by students. Is the SAT a reliable source to measure student performance? If you look what defines an individual, it isn’t simply test scores. There are other areas of intelligence to be measured. The Scholastic Aptitude Test is not a reliable source for student...
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...starting the paper. ---------------------------------------------------------------- EDU 315 Case Summary (UOP) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com EDU 315 Case Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------- EDU 315 Debate Outline (UOP) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com EDU 315 Debate Outline ------------------------------------------------------------------ EDU 315 Entire Course (UOP) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com EDU 315 Ethical Considerations Reflection Paper EDU 315 Legal Research Paper EDU 315 The Code of Conduct Issues Paper EDU 315 Case Summary EDU 315 Case Analysis Paper EDU 315 Fingerprint T Chart EDU 315 High Stakes Testing Paper EDU 315 Debate Outline EDU 315 Role of Educational Stakeholders Presentation -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDU 315 Ethical Considerations Reflection Paper (UOP) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Write a 350- to 750-word reflection paper on what you consider to be the primary ethical considerations for teachers in a K–8 educational setting. That is, what do you believe to be the most important ethics that need to be considered by an educator and why? Incorporate your research on existing policies....
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...I can recall sitting in science class in high school and thinking, what will I learn than unlearn today? I say this because every day in this class, without fail we would cover a chapter in the book then be asked to take a quiz right after. This cycle would repeat daily and when the course came to conclusion, I can honestly say I learned very little. This was the norm at my school, courses were rushed through so everything could be covered and students with good memorization and test taking skills were awarded and those who lacked in those areas fell behind. With the emphasis being place on standardized tests and teachers covering too much material, certain populations are falling behind and changes must take place with the curriculum and instruction to ensure quality education in today's society. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed with a goal of closing the achievement gap between white students and their low-income and minority peers. However research over the past ten years has found that the high-stakes testing policies have not improved reading and math achievement across states, and have not significantly narrowed national and state level achievement gaps (Au, 2009). The high stakes testing and standardization of classrooms has students it set out to help. According to Haretos (2005), “the volatility in test scores makes it difficult for racially diverse schools to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), since every racial and ethnic subgroup must do so. So, when...
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...Incorporating Changes to the Current Standardized Testing Program Rowan University February 9, 2016 Standardized testing has become a subject of debate in the U.S education system. The New Jersey Department of Education replaced its previous common core testing, NJASK and HSPA, in 2014, with a single new standardized test, PARCC, for all grades from 3-12 as the single statewide assessments tool (“PARCC Assessment,” 2016). Many, if not, all states have their own version of standardized testing programs at their grade and high school level, but the question arises as to how accurately standardized tests measure current students and future potential toward college. Some will agree with J. Pollard (2002) that ‘we need standardized tests, if only because we have no alternative method of measuring student achievement, and making sure that all kids are getting a decent education’. Others will argue that it is a distractor and negatively impacts a students’ long term motivation and that it causes unnecessary stress (“High stakes testing,” 2016). If we decided to abandon such testing as PARCC, what will replace it? This paper will look into the issue of standardized testing, offer some alternatives methods that reflect changes in assessments and looking into a means to address the issue at the National level. The end result would be an assessment system that can continue to evaluate our children in the holistic view for future advances into higher...
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...educational leaders on test scores, because of the predisposition they hold. Supporters of standardization continue to state that by considering educators specifically responsible, they will have the capacity to better address the issues for higher scores by changing the material educated inside the classroom. Accountability additionally gives a straightforward arrangement concerning school financing. Groups that give the most noteworthy test scores get even more financing, while groups creating lower test scores get not as much as their partners. Basically, standardization considers simple responsibility inside education. Truthfully, the cases of accountability and its belongings remain exceptionally distorted. It is said standardized testing gives accountability in a way. Be that as it may, specialists create nationwide standards without specifically encountering the classroom environments of various regions across the...
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...Standardized Testing: Its Impact on American Education and Society: Schools all over the U.S are composed of many different types of students with diverse backgrounds. The goal of state officials is to improve education for students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, through the use of standardized testing. Its primary purpose for electing service officials in ancient china has led to its adoption in the U.S as a method for seeking improvements in the education system through testing students. However, holding schools and teachers responsible for annually increasing the average scores has shifted the curricula to teaching to the test, in addition to, putting the well being of both teachers and students at risk. Although standardized testing in the U.S. has been in place for over a century, its initial use is associated back to ancient China where the public was selected for jobs through testing. The purpose for standardized tests has always been to measure the knowledge and ability that one acquires. According to Osman Ozturgut, this purpose for testing was originally illustrated in 605 B.C, during the Sui Dynasty. Government jobs were administered to those with fairly high knowledge of Confucian philosophy. However, this would not guarantee a job. In addition to being tested on Confucian philosophy, they were also tested on “military strategy, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture, geography…” (3). Standardized tests were used as a method to give applicants...
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...The Purposes and Methods of Classroom-Based Literacy Assessment Grand Canyon University: RDG 512 June 3, 2014 Assessing Literacy Development The purpose of the information provided is to adequately use literacy assessments and understand their purpose as well as how they benefit students and help guide teachers’ instruction. I. Classroom Assessment A. Planning for Assessment Considerations for each student include: 1. Background knowledge (What do students know about this concept) 2. Vocabulary 3. Comprehension (How well are students understanding the concept) 4. Completion of work 5. Work habits 6. Work well with classmates 7. Ability to apply material learned (Tompkins, 2000) B. Monitoring Students’ Progress There are several ways teachers can keep track of student achievement: 1. Observations—Focus on literacy, not behavior 2. Anecdotal notes—quickly jotted notes 3. Conferences: a) On-the-spot: Brief, approximately 1 minute, at student’s desk b) Planning: Scheduled with student ahead of time to discuss concepts, vocabulary, or writing c) Revising: Discuss rough draft and make suggestions to revise d) Book Discussion: Discussion of currently read book e) Editing: Correct mechanical errors in writing f) Evaluation: Discuss growth, reflect on goals met 4. Checklists-Criteria students are expected to meet (students know criteria before completing assignment) C. Evaluating There...
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...Summary In the article, "Differentiate Curriculum Enhancement in Inclusive Middle School Science", it compared differentiated and traditional (teacher-led) instruction. For twelve weeks, they tested thirteen classes of 213 students. Out of the 213, forty-four had learning difficulties. The experimental classes received differentiated instruction, such as, hands-on and peer-mediated. While the control group received teacher-led (traditional) instruction (Mastropieri et al., 2006). This was a four-fold investigation. First, it was "to determine whether differentiated curriculum enhancements relevant to the study of scientific methods could be developed for eighth-grade inclusive science classes" (Mastropieri et al., 2006, pg. 132). Secondly, using a peer-mediated format to incorporate materials. Thirdly, they wanted to see if test scores would improve if they used this randomized field trial. Finally, it was to determine whether the students had a good experience and enjoyed using these materials (Mastropieri et al., 2006). The method of data collection included four parts. Initially, the class was given a pre-test. Then they divided the classes up into two groups. For twelve weeks, 90 minutes four days a week and 45 minutes on the fifth day, the class was instructed either through the traditional way of teaching or by using differentiated instruction. The traditional classroom learned the material either through teacher-led discussion, taking notes, using the textbook or...
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