HIGH STAKES TESTING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

"Assessment, thus, has many functions. It is only as good as its instruments, and it is defensible only to the extent that it actively forwards and enhances a child's learning."
-Theodore Sizer, Boston College (Testing)

When an educator looks at assessments it is important to look into whether that assessment has enhanced student learning as that should be the root intention of all forms of testing. Considering the plethora of assessments available to educators it is imperative that countries, education governing bodies, schools & teachers decide which assessment is going to help students achieve their best and that which will forward and enhance student learning.

Standardized testing comes in many forms. It has been a part of American education since the mid-1800s. The use of these tests grew when the NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act) mandated that testing should be done in all 50 states. Standardized testing means that a test is “administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner” (Popham, 1999). Students take the same test in the same conditions at the same time, if possible, so results can be attributed to student performance and not to differences in the administration or form of the test (Wilde, 2004). For this reason, the results of standardized tests can be compared across schools, districts, or states.” (C. f. Education)

High stakes testing is a form of standardized testing that has consequences attached to the results. For example it can determine student grade wise promotion or graduation to high school. The AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) according to NCLB is called “High Stakes” as it bears consequences to schools and students. If the results are a failure the teachers and schools are held accountable(C. f. Education).

There are pros and cons of high stakes testing worldwide. To highlight some of the arguments the proponents in the U.S have put forth are;

• That the standardized tests are fair and objective measure of student ability.
• Standardized tests are reliable and objective measures of student achievement.
• The tests ensure inclusive and nondiscriminatory content to ensure relevance for all students.
• They argue “teaching to the test” can be a good thing as it focuses on essential content and eliminates time wastage.
• The tests focus on student basic skills that need to be mastered.
• It is not encouraging a “drill and kill” rote learning process.
• Testing is not too stressful for students. The US Department of Education stated: "Although testing may be stressful for some students, testing is a normal and expected way of assessing what students have learned." (U. D. Education)

On the other hand some of the opponent views on standardized testing are;

•  According to OECD the PISA results in 2012, showed the average for math, Reading and Science scores were 494, 496 and 501 respectively with China in first place and the U.S in the 36^th place with scores  481, 498 and 497 respectively(Statistics).According to the Guardian the U. S has slipped in its ranking from 18^th in 2002, 31^st place in 2009 and to 36^th place in 2012.Hence standardized testing has not improved student achievement. 
•  It is an unreliable measure of student performance.
• These tests are unfair and discriminatory against non- English speakers and students with special needs.
• Standardized testing does not measure "creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity" - Gerald W. Bracey, PhD,
• Teaching to the test is killing teacher creativity along with the rote learning that is replacing effective teaching practices.
• Testing causes severe undue stress on students.
• Excessive testing may teach children to be good at taking tests, but does not prepare them for productive adult lives.

         (ProCon.Org)

Therefore considering all of the above I would like to examine the standardized- High stakes testing processes in my school. The Overseas School of Colombo is an International School that follows the IB curriculum. The school assessment system covers internal and external assessments that are detailed by the IB curriculum. In addition the only high stakes exam that is taken yearly is the MAP Test–(Measures of Academic Progress Test). This test is conducted throughout Primary and Secondary school over a period of 2-3 weeks, testing student reading, writing and Math on grade level basis. The results are evaluated to enhance student learning and it is not used to retain or promote students through the grades, reward or penalize teachers. The teachers do not focus on the test components in their instruction however their main goal during lessons and key focus is keeping the IB curriculum standards. The students are prepped only mentally to be prepared for the test by advising them on eating and sleeping well before the test date. Hence there’s no loss of instruction time in prepping students for tests. During the test week the teachers would lose out 1-2 lessons which are already embedded into the school calendar.

On completion of the test the IB MYP (Middle years Program) and PYP (Primary Years Program) coordinators and the teachers take the results apart during staff meetings and discuss intensively on ,students on target, below target, above target, exceptional students and students with cause for concern identified through the Map scores. The teachers discuss in allocated grade level teams focusing on surprising results, strategies that would help to meet the whole class and students with needs and what supports the teachers might need to improve literacy across the grade levels. There are also EAL(English as an Additional Language) students and students in SEN (Special Education Needs) )who take these tests. Many are not traumatized by this test as they are told it does not count toward their promotion or any other grade in school. Once the test scores are reviewed their current support system is checked to see if students are being adequately serviced.

In comparison I would like to examine a local private school in Sri Lanka and effects of high stakes testing in the curriculum. Having studied and worked as a teacher in this school ,my views on high stake testing differ in this case. Although the school is a private school, its primary base of the curriculum is governed by the Department of Education in Sri Lanka. The students are prepped towards meeting these standards and more as the school curriculum policy mandates. The school administers internal tests in each grade however throughout the grades the ultimate goal is preparing the students for the GCE Ordinary Level (10^th grade) and the GCE Advanced Level (12^th  grade).These exams are state mandated tests to public school  and private school students.Hence even private schools have to prepare students for this testing. Success at the exam will determine their entrance to universities and other higher educational options. Many teachers are driven to teach to the test throughout each grade level. Many a time it is at the expense of student creativity, motivation and developing transferable skills. There are rewards for students and recognition for teachers in schools achieving high grades. The scores determine them moving from O’ level to A’ level. The pressure that is on the students to excel at these exams is insurmountable. As indicated in the video “In modernizing India, suicide is on the rise among young” by Andrew Macaskill and Tanya Ashreena (Reuters)where an Indian student commits suicide due to pressure, although not as common, it does happen in this country due to the overwhelming stress placed on students for success.

In conclusion reflecting on the opening quote, "have these high stakes assessments forwarded and enhanced a child’s learning" continues to be debatable. In my opinion I agree with my IB school policy of using the assessments to develop and identify student needs as a positive step towards student learning whereas the high stakes tests for entrance to higher education might need to be transformed to ensure students have a holistic learning experience. An example of this could be the PAARC testing system (The partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.)As college readiness levels are tested and evaluated through the grades where gifted students and students falling behind are recognized, I believe will add a holistic value to the testing system. (PAARC)

Works Cited                                  

Consortium, Smarter Balanced Assessment. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. n.d. 26 June 2015 <http://www.smarterbalanced.org/about/>.

Education, Center for Public. A guide to standardized testing: The nature of assessment . 15 February 2006. 26 June 2015 <http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Evaluating-performance/A-guide-to-standardized-testing-The-nature-of-assessment>.

Education, US Department of. Testing: Frequently Asked Questions. 17 November 2014. 26 June 2015 <www.ed.gov>.

GreatSchools. The secret to comparing schools based on test scores. 5 February 2013.

Guardian, The. Pisa 2012 results: which country does best at reading, maths and science? 3 December 2013. 26 June 2015 <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/dec/03/pisa-results-country-best-reading-maths-science>.

PAARC. The PAARC Assessment. 2015. 26 June 2015 <http://www.parcconline.org/parcc-assessment>.

ProCon.Org. Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America? 4 March 2015. 26 June 2015 <http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background>.

Reuters, ANDREW MACASKILL AND TANYA ASHREENA-. In modernising India, suicide is on the rise among young. New delhi, 11 December 2014.

Statistics, National Center for Education. Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Mathematics, Science, and Reading Literacy in an International Context-First Look at PISA 2012. 3 December 2013. 26 June 2015 <https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014024>.

testing, National Center for Fair and Open. Organizations and Experts Opposed to High Stakes Testing. 17 August 2007. 26 June 2015 <http://www.fairtest.org/organizations-and-experts-opposed-high-stakes-test>.