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Summary Of The Effects Of High Stakes Testing On Elementary Education

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The article entitled “The effects of high-stakes testing on elementary school art, music, and physical education.” was written for the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance in 2002. This article discusses the effects that art, music, and physical education (AMPE) have on an elementary schoolers ability to perform well on a standardized measure of learning. This article showed the effects on elementary schools in Virginia and how well students performed on the Virginia’s Standards of Learning tests (SOL). This article is applicable to elementary education because teachers can observe the effect AMPE have on children and use that to adapt their teaching style, even if they are not teaching AMPE. The article is effective in its purpose …show more content…

Reduction or even elimination of AMPE classes has been brought into question since the introduction of standardized testing. Reducing these classes would allow for more time for instruction on the subjects covered in these standardized tests (Graham et al., 2002). The article sheds light on this subject by examining how Virginia principals have adjusted AMPE classes since the introduction of the Standards of Learning (SOL) system. Thayer states that the SOL system measures the minimal achievement level by children in Kindergarten through 12th grade in the subjects of math, science, history, and social science (as cited in Graham et al., 2002, p. 51). According to the Virginia Department of Education, high school students must successfully pass a certain number of SOL tests before receiving their diploma. In addition, the test performance determines whether or not a school keeps their accreditation (as cited in Graham et al., 2002, p. 52). It is clear that success on the SOL tests is vital not only on an individual level but also on a school-wide level. Ernst and Pasi state that since the introduction of the SOL tests Virginia …show more content…

Elementary school instructors and principals can use the information presented in this article about AMPE education and apply it to today’s teaching. The information concluded by the study showed that there was no relationship between successful standardized test scores and time allotted for AMPE classes. Although there is no relation, the article states that AMPE classes give students a chance to apply concepts and ideas learned in math, science, history, and social science in a new way (Graham et al., 2002). Allowing time for AMPE classes allows the students to develop into more well-rounded individuals. Although this article only focuses on a fraction of Virginia elementary schools, the information is applicable to all schools across the United States. Principals can use this information to keep AMPE classes in their schools and create students who have the ability to apply mathematical, scientific, and historical concepts to a variety of

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