High Stakes Testing In Kathy William's Failing Our Kids

In Kathy William’s “Failing Our Kids” she states, “Students often initialize the judgements of the tests, as if test scores were the final word on one’s knowledge or potential”(9). This is one issue that has been around for a long time, it goes beyond the actual test scores. Standardized tests, commonly referred to as high stakes tests are very common throughout the United States. These tests such as, SATs, ACTs, GREs and etc., come with many different names but they all serve the same purpose. What makes a test high stakes is the way the testing scores are being used; for example, if the tests are used to make important decisions then they will be considered high stakes .These tests are used to measure the performance of students, determine

Many researchers analyze pros and cons of high stakes testing. The majority of these studies focus on the effects the tests have on graduation rates across The United States. These tests results are also used in many other different ways such as; educational purposes such as, parents using them to see whether their children are making educational progress, and also policymakers use them for different sources. These sources may include people giving test to see progress in jobs. The majority of the research focuses on the educational approach of high stakes tests. For example In Nichols and Berliner’s Collateral Damage they discuss the history of high stakes tests. Many students have the faith that these tests are designed with the uppermost care, validity measures, and reliability. For the most part, these tests have been successful for students. They state, “Most citizens are satisfied with the information received from these tests and the uses that are made of them” (2). These tests can sometimes result in students being denied from colleges, being admitted into gifted programs, and also determining whether or not remedial courses are appropriate for that student. Some students still have the chance to move further (Nichols and Berliner

The dropout rates are steadily rising year by year in America. Talked about in the article The Effects of High-Stakes Testing on Student Motivation and Learning, some researchers found that the dropout rates were 4 to 6 percent higher in schools with high school graduation exams (33). Another study stated that students with lower rates in high-stakes tests were likely to drop out before the reach graduation. So with that information researchers can conclude that dropout rates are higher in schools with graduation required exams than school without them.