This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Michael R. Ford, Douglas M. Ihrke, Kathy Swan, Susan Hill, Linda Bol, Laura-Lee Kearns, Sharon L. Nichols, Becky Herr Stephenson, Mark Hofer, and Adam Shunk.
(2012). Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads, District Administration. A rising tide of protest is sweeping across the nation as growing numbers of parents, teachers, administrators and academics take action against high-stakes testing. Instead of test-and-punish policies, which have failed to improve academic performance or equity, the movement is pressing for broader forms of assessment. From Texas to New York and Florida to Washington, reform activists are pressing to reduce the number of standardized exams. They also seek to scale back the consequences attached to test scores and use multiple measures to evaluate students, educators, schools and districts. The nation's second-largest teachers union also took a stand recently against high-stakes testing, passing a resolution in July at its annual convention in Detroit that says the focus on standardized tests has undermined the United States' education system. The American Federation of Teachers approved the resolution unanimously, stating that testing should be used to inform and not to impede classroom instruction. Responding to the enthusiastic embrace of the Texas resolution and educators' statements, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) spearheaded an effort this past spring to craft a statement that would appeal to a broader audience. The result, the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing, gained initial sponsorship from a dozen other education, civil rights and religious groups. Many local groups also helped launch the signature-gathering campaign. The resolution urges state officials to "reexamine school accountability." It calls for a system "which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools." It also asks Congress and the Obama administration to overhaul NCLB. At the federal level, the resolution's goal is "to reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators." As of mid-June, more than 10,000 individuals from all 50 states and 350 organizations had signed the resolution. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Accountability, Testing
(2011). An Investigation of Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Smaller Learning Community Social Studies Classrooms, American Secondary Education. This study investigated the extent to which higher-order thinking skills are promoted in social studies classes in high schools that are implementing smaller learning communities (SLCs). Data collection in this mixed-methods study included classroom observations and in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that higher-order thinking was rarely promoted in SLC classes. Interview data suggests several factors affecting teaching for higher-order thinking in SLC social studies classrooms. These include: high stakes testing, pacing pressures, teachers' dispositions and training, and teacher autonomy. [More] Descriptors: Professional Autonomy, Thinking Skills, Social Studies, Investigations
(2007). High-Stakes Testing: Does It Increase Achievement?, Journal of Applied School Psychology. I review the literature on the impact on student achievement of high-stakes testing. Its popularity as a mechanism for holding educators accountable has triggered studies to examine whether its promise to increase student learning has been fulfilled. The review concludes there is no consistent evidence to suggest high-stakes testing leads to increases in student learning. Some evidence suggests it may have a negative effect for some student groups and in some important subject areas (e.g., reading). Implications for future research and for the practice of school psychology are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Testing, Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, School Psychology
(2007). Introduction and Overview of High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology, Journal of Applied School Psychology. This overview article addresses the different meanings of high takes testing, which takes into consideration accountability at different levels, such as teacher, school, and state. In this regard, "high-stakes" may mean different things in different states or countries. We will advance an argument for why school psychologists should (a) be actively involved with implementation of high stakes assessment programs, (b) work to prevent the potential negative consequences of high stakes testing, and (c) advocate for the appropriate use of these assessments. Finally, we will offer a preview of each article. Collectively, the articles provide an overview of why high stakes testing is relevant to the profession of school psychology and how high stakes testing has created new opportunities for the practice of school psychology. [More] Descriptors: Psychologists, School Psychologists, Testing, School Psychology
(2007). The Unintended Outcomes of High-Stakes Testing, Journal of Applied School Psychology. Although it is important to evaluate the intended outcomes of high-stakes testing, it is also important to evaluate the unintended outcomes, which might be as important or more important than the intended outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing, including those related to: (a) using tests as a means to hold educators accountable, (b) the effects on instruction, (c) the effects on student and teacher motivation, and (d) the effects on students who are at-risk of school failure. In examining the evidence, I conclude that while some unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing have been positive, many of the unintended outcomes have been negative. Hopefully, through a greater awareness of the unintended outcomes, school psychologists can work to minimize the negative effects of testing on students and educators. [More] Descriptors: Psychologists, School Psychologists, Testing, High Stakes Tests
(2011). Teaching Harry Potter: The Power of Imagination in Multicultural Classrooms. Secondary Education in a Changing World, Palgrave Macmillan. Given the current educational climate of high stakes testing, standardized curriculum, and "approved" reading lists, incorporating unauthorized, often controversial, popular literature into the classroom becomes a political choice. The authors examine why teachers choose to read "Harry Potter", how they use the books and incorporate new media, and the resulting teacher-student interactions. The book encourages a critical discussion regarding the state of our educational system and the increasing lack of space allowed for imagination and complexity. Its unique research methodology is part ethnographic, part practitioner research, and serves as an analytical commentary on current school culture and policy. [More] Descriptors: Imagination, Learning, Childrens Literature, Books
(2007). High-Stakes Testing and Curricular Control: A Qualitative Metasynthesis, Educational Researcher. Using the method of qualitative metasynthesis, this study analyzes 49 qualitative studies to interrogate how high-stakes testing affects curriculum, defined here as embodying content, knowledge form, and pedagogy. The findings from this study complicate the understanding of the relationship between high-stakes testing and classroom practice by identifying contradictory trends. The primary effect of high-stakes testing is that curricular content is narrowed to tested subjects, subject area knowledge is fragmented into test-related pieces, and teachers increase the use of teacher-centered pedagogies. However, this study also finds that, in a significant minority of cases, certain types of high-stakes tests have led to curricular content expansion, the integration of knowledge, and more student-centered, cooperative pedagogies. Thus the findings of the study suggest that the nature of high-stakes-test-induced curricular control is highly dependent on the structures of the tests themselves. [More] Descriptors: Testing, High Stakes Tests, Teaching Methods, Qualitative Research
(2008). A Different Way to Think about…Student Assessment. Carnegie Perspectives, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In an insightful commentary, the author ruminates on the dilemmas of coaching in the context of high-stakes testing. [Drawn from an essay titled "Send Me in, Coach!" that the author has written for a future issue of "The New Teacher," a journal published by the City University of New York.] [More] Descriptors: High Stakes Tests, Student Evaluation, Test Coaching, Test Wiseness
(2006). Relationships between High-Stakes Testing Policies and Student Achievement after Controlling for Demographic Factors in Aggregated Data, Education Policy Analysis Archives. With the mandate of "No Child Left Behind," high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing, mathematics, and science from 1992 through 2002, in an effort to examine the relation of high-stakes testing policies to achievement and changes in achievement between testing periods. As expected, demographic characteristics and their changes were related significantly to most achievement outcomes, but high-stakes testing policies demonstrated few relationships with achievement. The few relationships between high-stakes testing and achievement or improvement in reading, writing, or science tended to appear only when demographic data were missing; and the minimal relationships with math achievement were consistent with findings in previous research. Considering the cost and potential unintended negative consequences, high-stakes testing policies seem to provide a questionable means of improving student learning. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Standardized Tests
(2017). School Board Member Definitions of Accountability: A Comparison of Charter and Traditional Public School Board Members, Journal of Educational Administration. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the differing ways in which nonprofit charter and traditional public school board members define the concept of accountability in the school or schools they oversee. The findings speak to the governing consequences of shifting oversight of public education from democratically elected bodies to unelected nonprofit governing boards. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use originally collected survey data from democratically elected school board members and nonprofit charter school board members in Minnesota to test for differences in how these two populations view accountability. Open-ended survey questions are coded according to a previously used accountability typology. Findings: The authors find that charter school board members are more likely than traditional public school board members to define accountability through high stakes testing as opposed to staff professionalization and bureaucratic systems. Originality/value: The results speak to the link between board governance structure and accountability in the public education sector, providing new understanding on the way in which non-elected charter school board members view their accountability function. [More] Descriptors: Boards of Education, Accountability, Charter Schools, Public Schools
(2010). Exploring the Influence of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability on Teachers' Professional Identities through the Factors of Instructional Practice, Work Environment, and Teacher Efficacy, ProQuest LLC. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of high-stakes testing and accountability on teachers' perceptions of their professional identities. Teachers' instructional practice, work environments, and personal factors are now immersed in the context of high-stakes testing and accountability. This context colors the decisions teachers make about instructional practice, the degree to which they collaborate with colleagues, and their emotions. Through a symbolic interactionist lens, this study explored how teachers give meaning to the influence of high-stakes testing. This qualitative study employed a semi-structured interview format to gather data from 11 Algebra I teachers in North Carolina on their perceptions of their professional identities. A conceptual framework based upon Bandura's social cognitive theory provided the foundation for exploring how teachers' instructional practice, work environment and teacher efficacy interacted and how these factors shaped teachers' professional identities. Context and demographic data were gathered through a questionnaire and the North Carolina School report cards. Based on interview data, researcher logs, and analytic memos, a vignette was developed about each teacher to explore the interactions of the teacher's instructional practice, work environment, and teacher efficacy. This study found most teachers relied heavily on direct instruction for reasons they attributed to high-stakes testing and accountability pressures, even when they believed other methods were better for their students. Related to this finding is the potential narrowing of teachers' role and purpose in their work as the influence of high-stakes testing and accountability interacts with their professional identities through their instructional practice, work environment, and teacher efficacy. Teachers expressed their professional identities in ways that positioned their identities in a student focus, or a teacher focus, whether peer or self. There appeared to be a relationship between whether teachers taught prior to the implementation of the NC ABCs and NCLB and the influence of this context on their professional identities. The teachers who expressed their professional identities in a student focus exhibited high perceptions of their teacher efficacy. Also, teachers' professional identities themselves mediated the way teachers experienced the influence of high-stakes testing and accountability. Principals and their actions influenced the way teachers constructed their professional identities. Of the teachers who reported principals as the primary source of the high EOC emphasis in their schools, four of the five teachers positioned their professional identities in a strong teacher focus. Principals played a primary role in the ways that teachers experienced and interacted with the context of high-stakes testing and accountability within their schools. The actions of the principals, both explicit and implicit, were a cogent influence in the construction of teachers' professional identities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Report Cards, Teacher Effectiveness, Testing, High Stakes Tests
(2011). Examining Authentic Intellectual Work with a Historical Digital Documentary Inquiry Project in a Mandated State Testing Environment, Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. Three criteria for meaningful student learning–construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school–are assessed as authentic learning outcomes for an implementation of a digital documentary project in two fifth grade history classrooms where teachers' practices are constrained by a high-stakes testing climate. In all three areas, there was ample evidence of student engagement in authentic intellectual work in the student-created movies. Only when teachers are ambitious in looking beyond test score outcomes will students have opportunities for meaningful and authentic intellectual experiences. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Grade 5, Relevance (Education)
(2017). A Quantum Measurement Paradigm for Educational Predicates: Implications for Validity in Educational Measurement, Educational Philosophy and Theory. The outcomes of educational assessments undoubtedly have real implications for students, teachers, schools and education in the widest sense. Assessment results are, for example, used to award qualifications that determine future educational or vocational pathways of students. The results obtained by students in assessments are also used to gauge individual teacher quality, to hold schools to account for the standards achieved by their students, and to compare international education systems. Given the current high-stakes nature of educational assessment, it is imperative that the measurement practices involved have stable philosophical foundations. However, this article casts doubt on the theoretical underpinnings of contemporary educational measurement models. Aspects of Wittgenstein's later philosophy and Bohr's philosophy of quantum theory are used to argue that a quantum theoretical rather than a Newtonian model is appropriate for educational measurement, and the associated implications for the concept of validity are elucidated. Whilst it is acknowledged that the transition to a quantum theoretical framework would not lead to the demise of educational assessment, it is argued that, where practical, current high-stakes assessments should be reformed to become as "low-stakes" as possible. This article also undermines some of the pro high-stakes testing rhetoric that has a tendency to afflict education. [More] Descriptors: Educational Assessment, Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Foundations of Education
(2011). High-Stakes Standardized Testing & Marginalized Youth: An Examination of the Impact on Those Who Fail, Canadian Journal of Education. This study examines the impact of high-stakes, large-scale, standardized literacy testing on youth who have failed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Interviews with youth indicate that the unintended impact of high-stakes testing is more problematic than policy makers and educators may realize. In contrast to literacy policy's aims to help promote the "well-being" of all learners, and "equity" within the educational system; youth attest to feeling "shame" and show further marginalization due to this testing mechanism. These findings suggest that it is necessary to broaden the dialogue about the impact of high-stakes standardized literacy testing and its effects. [More] [More] Descriptors: Testing, Standardized Tests, High Stakes Tests, Foreign Countries
(2011). Towards Ecologically Valid Assessment in Early Literacy, Early Child Development and Care. This article explores aspects of early language and literacy that may predict later literacy development. It explores a range of assessment procedures used for oral language, vocabulary, sentence structure and phonology and early reading and writing. The article then describes a small-scale study which highlights the disconnections between the oral language and early literacy and suggests that learning to read and write is akin to learning a second language for all children. Finally, the article suggests that young children's early language and literacy can best be assessed using ecologically valid procedures rather than the narrow high-stakes testing of one or two literacy components. [More] Descriptors: Literacy Education, Early Reading, Phonology, Sentence Structure