This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Jim Hill, Anne Wheelock, Paul Garcia, Marco A. Munoz, Gerald Kulm, Conrad F. Toepfer, Elizabeth Shellard, Bronwyn Coltrane, Vicki Kubler LaBoskey, and Sheria Reid.
(2002). School Awards Programs and Accountability in Massachusetts: Misusing MCAS Scores To Assess School Quality. This paper makes the case that the high-stakes testing and accountability program currently in place in Massachusetts misuses scores from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) to select particular schools as exemplary. School awards and recognition programs in Massachusetts imply that score gains are equivalent to school progress, but, in fact, score increases do not necessarily signify either improved student learning or school quality. Rising MCAS scores are poor signposts to best practices for replication by other schools, and scores may even benefit from policies and practices that harm or neglect the most vulnerable students. In many Massachusetts schools listed as exemplary, the statistical patterns associated with small numbers of students tested, changes in the composition of a schools students taking the MCAS from one year to the next, and teaching to the test may artificially improve test scores without improving school quality. By using MCAS score gains to identify particular schools as models of school improvement, public policymakers and pro-MCAS corporate leaders promote an inadequate definition school quality, misrepresent schools cited for test scores as more exemplary than others, and do a disservice to parents, teachers, and students who seek authentic school improvement and who care more about public education than public relations. (Contains 118 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Achievement Gains, Achievement Tests
(2002). An Examination of the Correlates to Achievement on the California High School Exit Exam. The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), established in 1999, requires all high school students beginning with the class of 2004 to pass the CAHSEE to earn a high school diploma. A study was conducted in a large urban school district in central California of the first year of implementation of CAHSEE. The study gathered evidence about student attitudes toward the CAHSEE, the extent of classroom and student preparation for the test, and the effect of test results on subsequent student performance. Data used were extant CAHSEE and student databases, student survey results completed by 3,925 students (approximately 78% of ninth graders in the school district, and student focus groups at various schools. Findings suggest that this high stakes testing has contributed to increased test preparation, especially among students with limited English language proficiency. The student survey data also provide some evidence that for some students the curriculum has narrowed. Disparate achievement levels were found when white and nonwhite students were compared, and the small number of beginning English learners with passing CAHSEE scores raises the question of when high stakes tests are appropriate for students not proficient in English. Preliminary evidence does not support the idea that poor performance on the CAHSEE had adverse effects on students academic grades. However, changes in school attendance were significantly related to number of test sections passed on CAHSEE. (Contains 3 tables and 11 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Correlation, Curriculum Problems, Exit Examinations
(2002). Leadership and Accountability–The Role of Professors and Practitioners. This paper examines the current status of standards and assessment in California, focusing on the system's successes and failures, and on how professors of educational administration can be involved and of assistance to administrators and teachers in this endeavor. At this time, the California accountability system and other mandated factors have put California school administrators into a state either of shock and fear, or full denial. To counteract the negative impact of these factors upon school administrators, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) proposes a set of conditions for policy, including protection against high-stakes decisions based on a single test, validation for each separate intended use of a high-stakes test, full disclosure of likely negative consequences of high-stakes testing, alignment between the test and curriculum, and opportunities for meaningful remediation for examinees who fail high-stakes tests. Professors of educational administration can provide practitioners with tools to assess and interpret assessments, and the knowledge of all current accountability mandates to present to school teachers, parents, and community. They can help them learn to approach and integrate curricular areas, and function as instructional leaders who can lead teaching faculty to do the same. [More] Descriptors: Accountability, Administrator Effectiveness, Administrators, Educational Administration
(2002). Paradigms for Future Guidance Programs: A Longitudinal Approach to Preparing Youth for Employability. As adults, today's students will have to deal with emerging problems societal changes are creating. Improving public education for all will require educational reform that better accommodates under-served American youth. This chapter discusses the educational standards movement, which assumes that virtually all learners can achieve educational benchmarks through assessments at set points in the elementary- and secondary-school continuum. Most states cap that with high-stakes testing near the conclusion of high school. This chapter addresses the approach in New York state as an example of what is occurring across the nation. It is proposed that changes in the current American school model must accommodate the difference-of-kind educational demands faced as we enter a new century and millennium. The goal for all American students to achieve higher standards will require a school paradigm that is, in some respects, similar to those in Germany and Japan. American teachers need extended time and opportunity to plan instructional means that increase success across the range of their students. (Contains 16 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Academic Standards, Benchmarking, Comparative Education
(2002). High Stakes Accountability Environments: Its Impact on the Administration of English Language Learners Programs. Throughout the 1990s, legislation increasingly required programs receiving federal funding to be more accountable for what they did. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 further emphasized the levels of accountability to ensure student success in schools. For limited English proficient (LEP) education, these requirements have intensified the debate among practitioners, researchers, and policy makers as to what constitutes success and how to measure it. A conceptualization of administration effectiveness based on student results in standardized achievement tests provided the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of the analysis was to explore accountability issues in LEP education. A case study of a local educational agency is presented to exemplify the impact of the high stakes testing environment on LEP program administration. Overall, findings indicate that incorporating accountability mechanisms provides an avenue for understanding LEP education program administration, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed by policy makers and administrators at the school district level. Implications for educational administration and policymaking are examined. (Contains 33 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accountability, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education
(2002). The Effects of Poverty, Ethnicity, and Special Education Status on Louisiana School Performance Scores. The Louisiana high stakes testing program has raised questions about equity issues. Students from lower socioeconomic groups are less likely to have access to quality penetration tools, and, like minority students, are less likely to have knowledge and skills of their more affluent peers. Students in special education have needs that place them at a higher risk of school and work failure, and the high stakes environment conflicts with many of the practical realities of regular and special education. This study examined the effects of poverty, race, and special education status on School Performance Scores (SPS) in Louisiana. Data from 1,054 Louisiana public schools for the year 2000 were collected from the Louisiana Department of Education Web site, and the independent variables recoded into discrete groups of low, medium, and high for three variables, numbers of students classified as living in poverty, belonging to a minority, or classified as needing special education. The data were analyzed using a three-way analysis of variance. Results show a statistically significant three-way interaction with the mean of the low group (m=103.27, standard deviation=11.24), significantly higher than that of the high group (m=56.88, sd=14.10). However, more research is suggested in order to ascertain the precise relationship between the variables. (Contains 3 tables and 16 references.) Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Ethnicity, High Stakes Tests, Poverty
(2002). Test-Based Accountability and Student Achievement Gains: Theory and Evidence. This paper examines the issue of test score inflation in the context of test-based accountability. The first section provides some background on the topic, describing what exactly is meant by test score inflation, reviewing the existing evidence for such inflation, and discussing why one should or should not be concerned if scores are inflated. When test scores are inflated, they are no longer good indicators of overall student skills. The second section discusses a number of ways to understand whether test score gains resulting from an accountability policy are meaningful. The third section presents some evidence on the factors driving test score improvements in Chicago following the implementation of high-stakes testing in that district. Data from the school system were obtained for students in grades 3, 6, and 8 from 1993 to 2000. The final section discusses the implications of potential test score inflation for education policy. Carefully examining the nature of gains on a high-stakes examination can reveal much about real performance changes under an accountability program. (Contains 9 tables and 28 references.) [More] Descriptors: Accountability, Achievement Gains, Educational Change, Elementary Secondary Education
(2002). English Language Learners and High-Stakes Tests: An Overview of the Issues. ERIC Digest. Recent legislation and education initiatives in the United States have emphasized the role of high-stakes testing in reform movements designed to increase accountability for schools and improve student achievement. This digest suggests that because English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing percentage of students enrolled in U.S. public schools, this group of learners must be considered when such initiatives are implemented. Educators must make critical decisions concerning how to include ELLs in high-stakes tests in ways that are fair and that address their needs. Factors to consider include the selection of appropriate testing accommodations and the accurate interpretation of test results. Specific sections address the following: the role of high-stakes tests; why to include ELLs in high-stakes tests; potential problems of including ELLs in high-stakes tests; and accommodations for ELLs. A section on what educators can do offers the following suggestions: (1) ensure that the test reflects the curriculum; (2) select appropriate accommodations and modifications; (3) teach the discourse of tests and test-taking skills; and (4) use test data carefully. [More] Descriptors: Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Accountability, English (Second Language), High Stakes Tests
(2006). "Reality Check": Teachers' Lives as Policy Critique, Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. The purpose of the study reported upon in this paper was to determine what graduates of a teacher education program designed to prepare teachers who will work toward goals of equity and social justice were encountering in their schools and how they felt they were doing with regard to these aims and why. Eleven graduates in their second, fourth or fifth year of teaching at a variety of grade levels and contexts were interviewed and surveyed. One of these new teachers responded to the interview questions in a more narrative mode. Her story is featured in the results not only because it is representative of the summarized findings from all interview transcripts, but also because it paints a more complete picture of her situation and her reaction to it. Thus it provides us with valuable information both about what new teachers prepared for equity education believe and value and about what in their contexts helps or hinders their efforts. Through her story we can feel and understand her deep caring for her students and her commitment to help them all reach rigorous and important standards and to be held accountable for it. Thus, we are helped to realize an idea fundamental to social justice education that is hard to make clear to new teachers, policy-makers or the public in more declarative terms–the goals of caring and rigor are complementary, not contradictory. Her despair with regard to the negative influences of high stakes standardized testing and the threats and punitive measures that accompany them, especially in poor schools like hers, are palpable and illuminating. [More] Descriptors: Social Justice, Teacher Education Programs, Standardized Tests, Educational Objectives
(2002). School Calendars. ERIC Digest. This digest discusses the rationale for changing school calendars. It describes what some districts are doing and advises school leaders and board members on the issues that typically arise when a calendar is changed. It examines the nationwide push toward a longer school year, driven in part by so-called high-stakes testing and mandated increases in instructional hours. The digest also looks at the district and state levels and how their calendars are being adjusted in response to local imperatives. In Michigan, for example, district superintendents had to incorporate a state-required increase of 108 instructional hours. While some year-round schools offer intercessions during breaks for students who need remedial help, other districts are exploring extra days, after-school programs, and/or summer sessions as ways to extend learning. Researchers and educators recognize that the traditional school calendar does not correlate with children's learning patterns. However, experts agree that it is of little value to add days to the calendar without a concrete plan for using the time to enhance instruction. Viewed this way, the calendar becomes a variable that educators can tailor to the particular needs of their students; modified and extended calendars are rapidly becoming the norm in schools across the country. (Contains 14 references.) [More] Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Extended School Year, Flexible Scheduling, Instructional Effectiveness
(2002). Who Owns Teaching?, Policy Perspectives. This report discusses the exploration of teaching that occurred in the Knight Collaborative National Roundtable on Teaching held in the summer of 2001. The participants were almost entirely family members from a range of disciplines and institutions. All participants shared a deep commitment to teaching, but the question who owns teaching? elicited much discussion. While teaching remains central to the educational mission, it often lacks a strong foundation as a subject of common engagement within the academy. Teaching has many stakeholders. High-stakes testing has become a central feature in the landscape of many states, one of the results when the public decides that it owns teaching. The world of mass entertainment is more definitive of society than what happens in the classroom, at least in part because higher education has not pursued a definition of who owns teaching and learning. The higher education community needs to define in its own terms where both the individual and the shared responsibilities for teaching lie. Recommendations are provided to help bring this about: (1) define clear goals of what teaching seeks to achieve; (2) structure the deals to achieve the ends that institutions seek; (3) create consortial movements among higher education institutions to preserve fair use; and (4) build and sustain a more active and visible community and culture of evidence around good teaching. [More] Descriptors: Educational Objectives, Higher Education, Learning, School Responsibility
(2002). Assessing and Advocating for Gifted Students: Perspectives for School and Clinical Psychologists. Senior Scholars Series. This monograph summarizes research about the assessment of academically gifted students and addresses the kinds of advocacy a psychologist can offer. The components of a comprehensive assessment are described, noting that many tests developed for the age or grade of gifted students will fail to reflect their advanced abilities and skills. Assessment issues include group versus individual testing, the recency of the standardization, out-of-level testing, test basals and ceilings, and the effects of timing on performance. It points out that the reliability of ability tests is inversely correlated with the level of IQ, resulting in greater discrepancies among abilities for gifted than non-gifted students. Gifted students may also present some special personality concerns, such as a view of their abilities as outside of their control, which leads to fragility in the face of challenge, realistic anxiety about high stakes testing, perfectionism and meticulousness, and reluctance to give up on difficult items. Special situations are considered, such as testing the highly gifted, testing the very young, testing the coached student, and assessment of children from underserved minorities and/or ethnically isolated families. Appended are a reading list for school psychologists and a resource list for educators. (Contains 46 references.) [More] Descriptors: Child Advocacy, Educational Assessment, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods
(2002). Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong: Anyone Cannot Teach and Teachers Are Not Born. This paper outlines the nexus between developing pedagogical content knowledge and the pressures for preparing pre-service teachers to be successful on high stakes testing. Increasing expectations about what students should know and be able to do, breakthroughs in research on how children learn, and the increasing diversity of the student population have significantly influenced the knowledge and skills teachers must have to meet educational goals for the 21st century. In mathematics undergraduate education, how pedagogical awareness is taught should relate to deeper and broader understandings of mathematical concepts for preservice teachers. A study was conducted with 193 students enrolled in their senior integrated methods block in the semester prior to beginning their student teaching. In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of the mathematics teacher preparation program, during the last week of their mathematics methods class, the students completed two assessment measures which examined their mathematics pedagogical content knowledge. Questions mirrored the pedagogical content questions on the state mandated teacher certification exam. Results indicated that previous mathematics ability was important to student success on all portions of the state mandated teacher certification exam. (Contains 30 references.) [More] Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Higher Education, Knowledge Base for Teaching
(2002). The Achievement Gap 2002: How Minority Students Are Faring in North Carolina's Public Schools. An Update. This report examines how well minority students are achieving in North Carolina schools. It is intended to inform parents, education leaders, policymakers, and the public about the crisis in North Carolina's public education system. Data show that too many minority students continue to be unprepared for high stakes testing. Scholastic Assessment Test results show a gap in achievement between minority children and their white counterparts. Minority students continue to have disproportionately high discipline and dropout rates. They are underrepresented in honors and advanced courses and overrepresented in special education. There has been a dramatic and steady decline in the number of minority teachers in the past 2 decades, so minority children are unlikely to be taught by instructors who share their own racial/ethnic heritage. Teachers need professional development in order for all students to be taught by competent, caring, qualified instructors. Additional funding is needed, though it must be targeted. This report presents Judge Manning's findings from the fourth ruling in the Leandro lawsuit that defines the state's responsibility to provide equal access to a sound basic education for all North Carolina children. Previous recommendations for improving the achievement gap, and progress made toward those recommendations, are included. (Contains 17 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Access to Education, Advanced Placement, Dropout Rate
(2002). High-Achieving Schools: What Do They Look Like? The Informed Educator Series. in this era of standards, high-stakes testing, and accountability, school leaders need to know how they can increase the achievement of their students. Researchers have found that high-achieving schools show common, key factors, including challenging learning experiences for all students, a principal who fulfills his/her role as the instructional leader, the use of data to assess and make improvements in the instructional programs, an emphasis on curricular coherence, and a belief that all students can excel. The use of targeted data helps in determining where a school is succeeding and where it needs to improve. Research shows that successful schools share a four-step reform process involving a needs assessment and goal-setting phase, a planning phase, an implementation phase, and a period of assessment and evaluation. Additional key factors for success include fostering clear and continuous communication among school leaders, teachers, students, and parents; being clear about what it means to set high standards for all students and what it will take to meet them; and showing how new ideas enhance, rather than replace, the old ones. Although each school follows its own path to success, all focus on student achievement as the end goal. (Contains 40 references.) Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Administrator Role, Data Analysis