ipl-logo

High Stakes Testing Pros And Cons

527 Words3 Pages

No Child Left Behind aims to raise academic standards for all students and to hold teachers and schools accountable for student success. It aims to do so by requiring states and school districts to develop systems that measure performance and academic achievement. This is a powerful goal, one that effectively shields No Child Left Behind from criticism and political fallout. It is difficult to discuss the initiative’s shortcomings without coming across as entirely against high academic achievement, particularly for traditionally underachieving students. Nonetheless, No Child Left Behind’s legacy of accountability through high stakes testing is disastrous and has completely altered the trajectory of American public education. Of course I agree that all teachers in public education should be highly effective so as to enable all children in public education to perform at the highest level. However, No Child Left Behind does not accomplish this. Instead No Child Left Behind creates students who are experts are in memorization, test taking, and little else; teachers who are not allowed to teach; classes that revolve around test preparation; and schools that are entirely devoid of joy. Children in American public schools deserve more. They deserve better. …show more content…

I propose an academic program that integrates relevant assessments and honest feedback into the curriculum and culminates in a multidisciplinary project that facilitates learning and growth while demonstrating academic ability. This program recognizes students as critical thinkers and creators with multiple intelligences and a diverse range of strengths and abilities. Never once does it ask students to take a test for testing’s

Show More
Related
181 Words | 1 Pages

In “Testing in Schools,” an article published in 2001 by Kenneth Jost, an author for Supreme Court Yearbook and The Supreme Court From A to Z on CQ Press develops understanding standardized testing from grades 3rd-8th. Jost establishes the history behind standardized testing including the popular No Child Left Behind law passed in 2001 by President Bush, the supporter for testing he gives credit to John A. Boehner and non-supporters for testing by Robert C. Scott. Definitely, there’s useful background information to outline through the history of problems with standardized testing. However, Jost reveals the pros and cons of standardized testing. In addition,Jost provides statistics with visuals, surveys and a timeline that tie into the information

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion, public educational curriculums and accountability guidelines should be established at the state and local levels where parents/guardians play an integral role in the decision making process. I do not believe standardized tests alone are an accurate measure of a student’s knowledge; their classwork, projects, and literary works also represent a student’s talent and capabilities. In agreement with Robert Schaeffer, a representative for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, that federal mandated programs such as the No Child Left Behind and The Race to The Top high-stakes tests foster the temptation to cheat because they serve as means to both punish and reward students, teachers, and principals based solely upon test scores (Schaeffer,

Read More
422 Words | 2 Pages

Part I: High-stakes student testing has challenged many states, districts, and schools across the nation. In some states, students do not advance to the next grade level or receive diplomas without passing standardized tests. What are the validity and reliability issues? What are the consequences of using the scores for making such decisions?

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

Ever since the first American schools were established in the 17th century, millions of students have been enrolled in the public schooling system since then. However, since the years have passed, the main focus on schooling has been shifted. What once was a place to learn and build upon already acquired knowledge has turned into a setting of extravagant tests. The American public schooling system’s prioritization of standardized testing wastes classroom time, does not teach students the required life skills they need to succeed in life, causes unhealthy stress and is not an accurate measurement of student progress.

Read More
271 Words | 2 Pages

I agree high stakes testing has an impact how we teach our curriculum, even in the military environment. We use high stakes testing for promotion to the next pay grade in our enlisted ranks. As educators, our primary goal should be developing curriculum and assessment procedures that improve learning outcomes for our students instead of deterring them. Test like high-stakes actual deters student learning. Amrein & Berliner (2002) suggest, the No Child Left Behind Act high stakes testing policy has caused some unintended consequence in student learning.

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

“No Child Left Behind” Johnson, C. (n.d.). LOG IN- ACCESS TTU LIBRARY RESOURCES. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.tntech.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=tel_a_ttul&id=GALE%7CA157773256&&v=2.1&it=r&userGroup=tel_a_ttul# This article gives an overview of the NCLB Act and how it affects certain areas of education. The author discusses the effects student evaluation, the middle school grades, and highly qualified teachers. With NCLB, mandatory assessments in content areas were introduced to all American schools.

Read More
779 Words | 4 Pages

“No Child Left Behind: A Failing Attempt at Reform,” written by Sarah E Holmes in 2010, examines the intended goals of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) versus the actual results the act has produced. The NCLB was implemented in 2001 under the George W. Bush administration. The goal of the act was to reach “100% proficiency of all groups of students in America by the year 2014.” Although ESEA and IASA were already developed the No Child Left Behind Act was intended to be a mash of the two and solve all the problems and weakness that both acts displayed. The NCLB act “ laid out consequences for schools that could not

Read More
1229 Words | 5 Pages

Standard testing is a very controversial and important subject because it deals with the progression of the American education system. The practice of these assessments has been highly scrutinized not only for the way it has changed the format of classrooms, but also for its accuracy, pressure, and abundance. In 2001, standardized testing became federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act by former president George Bush Jr. According to research from the Council of the Great City Schools, students have been taking “an average of 113 tests from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade” (K. Hefling). These numbers have increased to the point where parents have opted for their children to not attend standardized exams.

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

I believe this article in asking the question; Are High-Stakes Tests punishing some students is a valid issue. A high percentage of students who are failing these standardized tests are from poor, low-income, ethnic, racial minority and special education students. Here are some specific tests and results. The ACLU of Massachusetts states the testing gap punishes the poor, and ethnic minority the most. There is a testing gap between rich and poor communities.

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act was the largest piece of education reform to hit America since 1965. This act, signed into law on January 8, 2002, was meant to ensure there was accountability in education, that states, parents, and students had more options, and therefore, more control over education, that reading would be of the utmost importance, and that students would read at grade level by the third grade (Department of Education, 2003). Like President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, President Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative seeks to offer a solution to the problems facing America’s educational system. The Race to the Top initiative offers financial incentives to states that are prepared to increase standards and

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

Intelligence is not standard anymore. In fact, few schools truly understand how to effectively teach a variety of students the curriculum for their future careers. Therefore, to encompass every student’s needs, schools feel obligated to prepare students to be ready for college and their careers. To receive funding, the state requires the implementation of standardized tests in the schools. Naive policy makers believe it is essential to prepare for an exponential amount of time for these tests; however, unbeknownst to these policy makers that the outcome of the students through this rigid system is not actually preparing students for their future; consequently, it just forces students to barely survive school without getting much benefits out

Read More
1499 Words | 6 Pages

Now that the program has been in action for over a decade, the original ambitious goals and hopes set forth should have been met. Unfortunately, very little improvement has been made since its conception. In fact, Scott Abernathy (2007) states in his book that “No Child Left Behind aims to provide equality of outcomes. This is a very radical and ambitious goal.” (p. 2)

Read More
1026 Words | 5 Pages

What is justice? The Republic by Plato aims to essentially this question with distinct discussions about the different components of justice. The ethic is a foundational element into the philosophical questions one encounters. Not only does the literary work aim to form a definition of justice, but also aims to prove how justice will arise. In a discussion with Glaucon, Socrates explains how he believes justice will develop.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

High-stakes testing has been questionable since it began in England in 1983. Positives and negatives of this testing continues to loom as new results surface. In England, high-stakes testing became available to the public in 1992 which positively impacted parent’s choice of schools as well as the low achieving schools who were forced to improve. As the positive results of Englands educational system swept across Europe, the United States became aware of the lack of education amongst its youth. This awareness brought on the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 which required public schools to test students annually and held schools accountable for their learning or lack of learning.

Read More
316 Words | 2 Pages

High stakes testing is an example of how schools, administrators, teachers, and students are held accountable in meeting standards-based goals. High stakes tests are also known as accountability tests for being held responsible for their performance. Schools that achieve good results can possibly earn rewards such as a budget increase of excellence awards. Schools that receive poor results may be affected by budget reductions, criticism, and an unfavorable public image (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). Research indicates that high-stakes testing can and does motivate modification with instructional procedure.

Read More

More about High Stakes Testing Pros And Cons

Related Topics

Open Document