The Brave New World of High-Stakes Testing

The Brave New World of High-Stakes Testing

High Stakes Testing

Measuring how and what a student is learning is a significant part in the process of improving and strengthening the schools. Along with the grades of students and teachers evaluation, tests can provide significant measures of students' knowledge, abilities and skills. Therefore, test must be a part of a system in which wide and reasonable access to educational progress and opportunity is provided to all students. When used appropriately, tests are among the most ideal and sound ways to measure the performance of student. But, when the results of tests are used improperly for measuring students' performance, they can have unintentional adverse outcomes.

Few educational administrators and public officials are increasingly calling for the utilization of tests to make high-stakes decisions, for example, whether a student will receive a diploma or will he move on to the next grade level.

In addition, high-stakes assessments should not be made on the basis of score of a single test, because a single test can just give a picture of students' achievement and might not precisely reflect the worth of student's achievement or progress of an entire year.

Hypotheses

High stakes testing has significant effect on teachers as well students. There is an adverse effect of high-stakes test scores and stress on school teacher practices and perceptions.

Is there a difference in teacher perceptions and practices in classrooms where high-stakes tests are administered? Is the pressure to prepare students for assessments have increased in schools?

Findings of quantitative research studies

Analysis1

I have analyzed that the effect of high stakes testing has been perceived by NBCT on instructional practice, student's quality of work, pressure and general negative and positive characteristics of the testing as the focus for this research study. A survey methodology is used by sending a mail of questionnaire containing both qualitative and quantitative questions to 386 NBCTs who teach in the State of California. Considering that there are two types of research methodologies used in the research, therefore, the data is separately addressed in order to provide a clear comprehension of the results. Additionally, the results obtained from this study were compared with those given in the literature review. The analysis indicates that this study was conducted in order to find information regarding what teachers with National Board certification think about high-stakes testing because those who are already in the field of education have opposed beliefs about high stakes testing (Bryant, 2011).

Analysis 2

The analysis of this study demonstrates no significant difference found from the data collected from 150 elementary teachers in urban and rural schools. The data was measured by the Teachers stress survey and the High-Stake Testing. I feel that high-stakes testing negatively affects the morale as well the personal stress level of the teacher (Berger, 2006).

Results of this research study reconfirmed the concern that stress and high-states testing affects the urban and rural teachers equally, presents an adverse effect of public education, results in the facts of teaching ...