Bibliography: High Stakes Testing (page 62 of 95)

This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices.  Some of the authors featured on this page include Stephen Enwefa, Festus Obiakor, Chris Mercogliano, Denise Lindjord, Nomsa Gwalla-Ogisi, Joseph S. Renzulli, Darryl M. Hunter, Lawrence M. Grosberg, Lee Sherman, and Don R. Morris.

Popham, W. James (2001). Burned at the High Stakes: A Somewhat Pseudo Self-Test about Testing, American Educator. There is considerable controversy over high stakes tests and teachers' competencies in high stakes testing. Presents a pseudo self-test for teachers to determine how muddle-free their own test-talk really is. This tongue-in-cheek test includes 17 items with assessment-related words or phrases and a choice of definitions from which teachers may select. Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, High Stakes Tests, Standardized Tests

Stecher, Brian M.; Barron, Sheila (2001). Unintended Consequences of Test-Based Accountability When Testing in "Milepost" Grades, Educational Assessment. Examined the effect of a form of high-stakes testing, milepost testing, in which tests are only given at selected grade levels. Data from 479 teachers in Kentucky show substantial differences in practice between tested and nontested grades and draws implications for national testing proposals. Descriptors: Accountability, Educational Practices, National Competency Tests, Teachers

Morris, Don R. (2001). Assessing the Implementation of High-Stakes Reform: Aggregate Relationships between Retention Rates and Test Results, NASSP Bulletin. Examines the relationship between high-stakes testing and retention in elementary and middle grades in Miami Public Schools. Finds positive relationship between retention and test performance primarily in more affluent schools, with the exception of grade 7 where the relationship applied to all schools. Also discusses recent reform efforts in Florida. (Contains 33 references.) Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Change, Elementary School Students, Elementary Secondary Education

Waite, Duncan; Boone, Mike; McGhee, Marla (2001). A Critical Sociocultural View of Accountability, Journal of School Leadership. Using Texas's experience with standards and high-stakes testing, this critical sociocultural view of accountability illuminates hidden or neglected aspects of accountability-its meanings, consequences, and the processes by which it is institutionalized. Authority is moving to the state level; teachers, parents, and students have too little oversight. (Contains 48 references.) Descriptors: Accountability, Centralization, Cultural Influences, Democracy

Suchak, Bhawin (2001). Standardized Testing: High-Stakes for Students and for Corporate Bottom Lines, Journal for Living. The movement towards national academic standards and high-stakes testing is driven by corporate interests seeking profits and ultimately, privatization of public education. Teachers, parents, and students have had no input into these policy decisions. Research shows that the standards movement penalizes low-income and minority students, replaces real curriculum with test preparation books, and does not improve academic performance. Descriptors: Academic Standards, Corporate Support, Dissent, Educational Change

Obiakor, Festus; Algozzine, Bob; Thurlow, Martha; Gwalla-Ogisi, Nomsa; Enwefa, Stephen; Enwefa, Regina; McIntosh, Angela (2002). Addressing the Issue of Disproportionate Representation: Identification and Assessment of Culturally Diverse Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders. Fourth CCBD Mini-Library Series: Addressing the Diverse Needs of Children and Youth with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders–Programs that Work. This monograph addresses issues associated with the disproportionate representation of culturally diverse students in special education for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD). Chapter 1 considers identification, assessment, and intervention strategies for culturally diverse students with E/BD. Chapter 2 discusses the impact of high-stakes testing, including: the context of high stakes testing and education reform; consequences enacted in response to test performance; the greatest challenge of high-stakes testing (not knowing the tests' potential biases and effects); and meeting the needs of culturally diverse students. The third chapter explains culturally responsive behavior intervention planning using functional behavioral assessment. It examines assumptions and beliefs about this approach; conditions for the use of functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans; and hypothesizing about behavioral function. Chapter 4 addresses the importance of parent/teacher partnerships in screening and assessment. The final chapter is on interconnecting assessments and interventions and discusses making eligibility decisions, improving instruction and intervention, and assessing culturally diverse students with EBD. (Contains 102 references.) Descriptors: Behavior Change, Behavior Disorders, Cultural Differences, Disability Identification

Baker, R. Scott (2001). The Paradoxes of Desegregation: Race, Class, and Education, 1935-1975, American Journal of Education. Uses the African American campaign for equality and access to explore the historical origins of high-stakes testing. Explains that instead of promoting equality, as proponents of standardized tests argued, greater reliance on such tests widened the distance between advantaged and disadvantaged African American students, shaping paradoxical patterns of inclusion and isolation. (Contains references.) Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Access to Education, Black Students, Black Teachers

Hunter, Darryl M.; Randhawa, Bikkar S. (2001). The Large-Scale, Authentic Assessment of Listening and Speaking as Interactive Communication: Issues in Reliability, Alberta Journal of Educational Research. Examines reliability issues in the large-scale assessment of speech communication through authentic techniques, used recently in Saskatchewan. Performance-based approaches enable educators to evaluate the integrated, interpersonal communication skills of large student populations, thereby modeling best professional practice. However, decentralized teacher ratings have insufficient reliability to allow their use for high-stakes testing purposes. (Contains 34 references.) Descriptors: Audiolingual Skills, Communication Skills, Elementary Secondary Education, Foreign Countries

Hardy, Lawrence (2001). High Tech High, American School Board Journal. In an era of high-stakes testing and prescriptive teaching styles, a San Diego charter high school embraces project learning, multilevel classrooms, and video portfolios of student work. The school lacks dining, music, and athletic facilities, but features hefty teacher salaries, student freedom, and real-world problem solving. Descriptors: Academic Freedom, Active Learning, Charter Schools, Education Work Relationship

Wasserstein, Paulette (2001). I Don't Know What Happened–Johnny Used To Love Writing, Understanding Our Gifted. This article decries the negative effects of the standards movement and nationwide high-stakes testing on the teaching of creative writing as teachers teach to the test and formulaic writing is preferred over truly generative writing. The relationship of good writing to good thinking is stressed. (Contains references.) Descriptors: Academic Standards, Creative Writing, Educational Assessment, Educational Trends

Sherman, Lee (2001). Taking a Second Look at Standards, Northwest Education. The standards movement has caught on in most states, but critics point to a shortage of support for teachers and overreliance on high-stakes testing, which can lead to teaching to the test. Developments in Northwestern states are discussed, as well as criteria for determining how well tests align with standards, and change strategies observed in rapidly improving schools. Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accountability, Change Strategies, Educational Change

Mercogliano, Chris; Washor, Elliot (2001). Putting Education Back in Public Schooling: An Interview with Elliot Washor, Journal for Living. Cooperation among the Rhode Island legislature, the commissioner of education, funding agencies, businesses, and community members has enabled the creation of a statewide school district composed of small secondary career and technical schools based on student-initiated learning, internships, and mentoring. There is no set curriculum, high-stakes testing, or textbooks, yet all graduates have gone on to college. Descriptors: Charter Schools, Educational Change, Educational Cooperation, Educational Philosophy

Grosberg, Lawrence M. (2001). Medical Education Again Provides a Model for Law Schools: The Standardized Patient becomes the Standardized Client, Journal of Legal Education. Describes how medical schools have successfully used the "standardized patient" teaching technique, and the use of "standardized clients" at New York Law School. Proposes establishing consortiums among small groups of law schools to implement the standardized client technique, and using the technique in high stakes testing. Descriptors: Law Schools, Legal Education (Professions), Medical Education, Student Evaluation

Renzulli, Joseph S. (2001). Standards and Standards Plus: A Good Idea or a New Cage?, Journal of Secondary Gifted Education. Discussion of the standards issue in gifted education stresses the value of program models characterized by academic freedom and development of creative expression and urges that lists of standards and high-stakes testing do not replace a rich curriculum. (Contains references.) Descriptors: Academic Freedom, Curriculum Development, Elementary Secondary Education, Gifted

Lindjord, Denise (2001). Overhauling Public Schools: President Bush's Education Proposal and the Effects on Children and Families. Family Review, Journal of Early Education and Family Review. Examines components and the potential impact of President George W. Bush's education proposal. Maintains that proposal would eliminate federal subsidies for more than 1.4 million underprivileged children and would likely not eliminate the racial and ethnic gaps in achievement test scores. Asserts that the White House should closely monitor negative effects of high-stakes testing on minority students and families. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Change, Elementary Secondary Education, Family School Relationship

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