High Stakes Testing Pros And Cons

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High-stakes testing has been a popular topic among the education world. It has sparked numerous debates, prompted state-wide changes, and revitalized school districts. This concept has created controversy, but the definition and goal has remained the same. High-stakes testing is a test designed to measure student achievement after a period of instruction has been completed (Kubiszyn and Borich, 2013, p.22). Critics of high states testing believe it results to the teaching of the test rather than learning improvements. Teachers are given the difficult task of educating students who are currently functioning below grade level and are expected to produce passing scores on high-stakes testing that affects their livelihood. One logical reason that supports this claim is high stakes test results can determine whether educators’ receive salary increases or …show more content…

High stakes testing can be a reflection of the quality of instruction delivery. By assessing student scores, stakeholders can get a glimpse of how well the teacher is performing within the classroom. The data can motivate struggling teachers to improve teaching procedures and recognize teachers who are achieving the goals set forward by the federal and state government. . Another point supporters might believe to be true about high stakes testing is that administrators use the test results to improve student learning and design better professional development for teachers (Amrein & Berliner, 2002) . Again, this strategy intention is to prepare teachers to be better educators in the classroom, so student achievement can rise. Finally a supporter of high stakes testing is students work harder and learn more when they have to take high-stakes tests (Amrein & Berliner, 2002). Supporters believe that placing a significant value on high