Bibliography: High Stakes Testing (page 85 of 95)

This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices.  Some of the authors featured on this page include Thomas O'Shea, Belinda Bustos Flores, Dorene Scott, Elaine M. Allensworth, Mary Catherine Ellwein, Elizabeth Mahon, Richard B. Carter, Ellen Riojas Clark, Eddie L. Gamble, and M. David Miller.

Kher-Durlabhji, Neelam; Lacina-Gifford, Lorna J.; Carter, Richard B.; Jones, Randall (1995). Preservice Teachers' Views on Standardized Testing Practices, Research in the Schools. Attitudes toward high-stakes testing and score enhancement strategies of 4 cohorts of preservice teachers (total n=268) were determined. Findings suggest that preservice teachers can make acceptable judgments about appropriateness for the extremes of score enhancement strategies but are less able to do so in the intermediate range of the continuum of ethical and unethical strategies. Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Ethics, High Stakes Tests, Preservice Teachers

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), University of Minnesota (2004). A National Study on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities. Topical Report. The present study builds on the earlier work of Thurlow et al. (1995) and Guy et al. (1999). These earlier studies examined state graduation policies and diploma options across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purposes of these earlier studies were to: (1) provide policy makers and state education agency personnel information on the current cross-state status of graduation requirements, and (2) create a database to track changes in policy as states proceed to develop and change graduation policies. This study was undertaken to update the status of states' graduation policies. Three primary questions served as the focus of this national study of high school graduation requirements and diploma options for students with and without disabilities. These questions were: (1) What is the range and variation in state graduation requirements and diploma options across the United States for students with and without disabilities?; (2) What are the intended and unintended consequences that result for students with disabilities when they are required to pass exit exams to receive a high school diploma?; and (3) What are the intended and unintended consequences of using single or multiple diploma options for students with disabilities? Respondents included the state directors of special education or their designees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As illustrated within this study, as well as those cited in this report, the range and variation in state graduation requirements for students with and without disabilities is extensive. Changes in graduation policies and requirements are also occurring frequently across states. Further, many states have opted to create an array of alternative or differentiated diplomas in response to a variety of needs and pressures. The meaning and value of all of these graduation requirements are, however, not well understood. "High-stakes" testing also continues to increase as an accountability strategy to ensure that students graduate with a diploma that acknowledges what they have learned. These trends in state policies and practices are all moving forward without careful study or examination of their consequences for students, families, professionals, or school systems. Offered in this paper are several recommendations that may help to guide state and local district decision-making when adopting state graduation requirements and alternative diploma options.   [More]  Descriptors: Graduation, Disabilities, Exit Examinations, Graduation Requirements

Flores, Belinda Bustos; Clark, Ellen Riojas (1997). High-Stakes Testing: Barriers for Prospective Bilingual Education Teachers, Bilingual Research Journal. Reviews the institutionalization of high-stakes testing for prospective teachers and implications of high-stakes tests for minority and bilingual teachers. Discusses shortages of minority and bilingual teachers, demographic disparities between teachers and students, Hispanic pass rates on Texas exit tests for teacher certification, and the lack of relationship between test scores and actual teaching performance. Contains 48 references. Descriptors: Bilingual Teachers, High Stakes Tests, Higher Education, Licensing Examinations (Professions)

Ellwein, Mary Catherine; Glass, Gene V. (1991). Testing for Competence; Translating Reform Policy into Practice, Educational Policy. Examines competency testing reforms in a state education agency and a local school district. Addresses linkages among reform impetus, implementation, and consequences in both sites. Identifies general issues in high stakes testing reform and highlights evaluation's role in mediating complex political, technical, and social issues. Includes 13 issues. Descriptors: Educational Change, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, School Districts

Sullivan, Susan; Glanz, Jeffrey (2004). Supervision that Improves Teaching: Strategies and Techniques. Second Edition, Corwin Press. In this exciting, new edition of "Supervision That Improves Teaching," the authors have taken their reflective clinical supervision process to a new level, with the planning conference now the heart of the supervision cycle. Sullivan and Glanz have addressed the dilemmas of preserving meaningful supervision in an era of high-stakes testing and local, state, and national standards. The authors' reflective clinical supervision model encourages and prepares educators to be thoughtful collaborators in improving classroom instruction. And they have extended the options for teacher observation to a thorough but manageable set of tools for standards-based supervision. Outstanding additions to the revised second edition include: (1) Strategies and observation tools for maintaining reflective supervision in a standards-based environment; (2) Twelve new instructional tools, for help with team teaching, working with diverse student bodies and English Language Learners, and applying balanced literacy, among other topics; (3) Emphasis on the planning conference as the beginning of professional development for teachers; (4) A new case study on the collaborative classroom walk-through; (5) Critical updates on innovative approaches to supervision for prospective and practicing instructional leaders; and (6) Strategies for using the reflective clinical supervision model in distance learning and online educational leadership courses. This bestselling approach continues to offer interpersonal tools for initiating and providing feedback on classroom observations, alternative approaches to common supervision practices, and the tools necessary for present and future educational leaders to develop dynamic conversations about learning between and among educators-the essence of what effective supervision is really about. Following a foreword to the Second Edition (Jo Blase), a foreword to the First Edition (Karen F. Osterman), and a preface, this book presents six chapters: (1) The Changing Context of Supervision; (2) Three Interpersonal Approaches to Supervision; (3) Observation Tools and Techniques; (4) An Introduction to Clinical Supervision; (5) Alternative Approaches: Case Studies and Implementation Guidelines; and (6) Supervision to Improve Classroom Instruction: Next Steps. This book concludes with three resources; a list of references; and an index. [For the first edition of "Supervision that Improves Teaching" (2000), see ED433339.]   [More]  Descriptors: Clinical Supervision (of Teachers), Standards, Team Teaching, Educational Strategies

Worthen, Blaine R. (1993). Critical Issues That Will Determine the Future of Alternative Assessment, Phi Delta Kappan. Describes how alternative assessment differs from more traditional forms and outlines the forces causing the recent fascination with alternative assessment (demands for accountability, negative consequences of high-stakes testing, and increasing criticisms of standardized tests). Identifies some major issues involving alternative assessment, including conceptual clarity, educator support, validity, ability to assess complex thinking skills, and acceptability to stakeholders. (37 references) Descriptors: Accountability, Alternative Assessment, Competency Based Education, Elementary Secondary Education

Escamilla, Kathy; Mahon, Elizabeth; Riley-Bernal, Heather; Rutledge, David (2003). High-Stakes Testing, Latinos, and English Language Learners: Lessons from Colorado, Bilingual Research Journal. Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) results in third- and fourth-grade reading and writing, 1999-2001, were compared for Latinos taking the English or Spanish CSAP and all Colorado students. Latino students had equivalent or higher scores on the Spanish CSAP compared to the English CSAP, but had lower scores than all students, regardless of language of instruction. Implications for school accountability ratings are discussed. (Contains 27 references.) Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students

Thornton, Stephen J. (1999). Method in an Age of National Standards. In the last decade there has been a whirlwind of change in policies affecting social studies education. Among the most noteworthy changes have been a national commission on social studies, subject-centered national standards, statewide high-stakes testing, school restructuring, and performance assessment. All of these changes have ramifications for method, the effective direction of subject matter to desired results. This paper suggests four ways in which social studies researchers could inform and challenge policymaking. The paper focuses on the growing centralization of curriculum decision making and associated high-stakes tests that has come to the forefront since the advent of national standards. Contains 15 references.   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Standards, Educational Change, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education

Chakwera, Elias; Khembo, Dafter; Sireci, Stephen G. (2004). High-Stakes Testing in the Warm Heart of Africa: The Challenges and Successes of the Malawi National Examinations Board, Education Policy Analysis Archives. In the United States, tests are held to high standards of quality. In developing countries such as Malawi, psychometricians must deal with these same high standards as well as several additional pressures such as widespread cheating, test administration difficulties due to challenging landscapes and poor resources, difficulties in reliably scoring performance assessments, and extreme scrutiny from political parties and the popular press. The purposes of this paper are to (a) familiarize the measurement community in the US about Malawi's assessment programs, (b) discuss some of the unique challenges inherent in such a program, (c) compare testing conditions and test administration formats between Malawi and the US, and (d) provide suggestions for improving large-scale testing in countries such as the US and Malawi. By learning how a small country instituted and supports its current testing programs, a broader perspective on resolving current measurement problems throughout the world will emerge.   [More]  Descriptors: Testing Programs, Testing, High Stakes Tests, Measurement

Miller, M. David; Legg, Sue M. (1993). Alternative Assessment in a High-Stakes Environment, Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. Implications of using alternative assessments for accountability in a high-stakes testing environment (using tests to make impact decisions for students, schools, or teachers) are examined. The psychometric properties of standardized alternative assessments are discussed, and the consequences of their use are considered. Descriptors: Accountability, Alternative Assessment, Decision Making, Educational Assessment

Wideen, Marvin F.; O'Shea, Thomas; Pye, Ivy; Ivany, George (1997). High-Stakes Testing and the Teaching of Science, Canadian Journal of Education. The relationship between high stakes testing and the teaching of science was studied through case studies of two school districts and interviews and observation with 80 teachers and with principals, students, and district personnel in grades 8, 10, and 12 in British Columbia (Canada). Examinations discouraged teaching that promoted inquiry and active student learning. Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Case Studies, Foreign Countries, High Schools

Langenfeld, Karen; Thurlow, Martha; Scott, Dorene (1997). High Stakes Testing for Students: Unanswered Questions and Implications for Students with Disabilities. Synthesis Report 26. This report reviews existing research on the effects of high stakes tests on students, particularly students with disabilities. The review focuses on potential effects on the curriculum, student learning, attitudes and school climate, and the costs versus benefits of high stakes testing of students with disabilities. Results indicate that research results on high stakes testing are inconclusive and vary with the type of research questions asked and the types of tests examined. The evidence suggests that teachers change the curriculum based on the tests and concentrate time and effort teaching to test content and format. The effects on student learning are largely unknown, but the evidence does suggest that increasing test scores in themselves do not serve as evidence that students are learning more. High stakes testing seems to have a negative effect on the attitudes and workloads of teachers, but little is known about the effects on students. States still do not take into account the full costs of high stakes testing programs, and claims that testing alone can cause major educational improvement have not been proven. Recommendations for future research are provided. An appendix summarizes the literature reviewed for the report. (Contains 46 references.)   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accountability, Cost Effectiveness, Curriculum Development

Anderson, Noel (2004). "A Good Student, Trapped": Urban Minority Males and Constructions of Academic Achievement, Perspectives in Education. This article centres on the findings of an interpretive case study conducted at a college preparation program at a prestigious university in a major U.S. city that is grappling with a high attrition of poor and working class African American and Latino young men. The purpose of the study is to examine the underlying assumptions about equity and opportunity in the design of the program and to understand how this approach to increasing educational opportunity plays out in the lived experience of the students served. Using the framework of interpretive interactionism developed by Norman Denzin as well as the critical theoretical works of welfare economist, Amartya Sen and educator, Paulo Freire, this case study reveals the underlying belief systems that inform the program development and intended outcomes. Through this interpretive case study, we capture the voices, emotions, and actions of those studied as they strive to succeed in an educational program that is designed to serve them.  In this case study we achieve greater insight into why young men of colour may be opting out of this program in large numbers. The major findings are that the assumptions underpinning the design of this program mirror the assumptions undergirding the curriculum and high-stakes testing environment prevalent in public schools. As a result the young men feel overwhelmed, academically. Furthermore, the overemphasis on academic achievement in the program leaves no room to address the young men's concerns with safety, alienation on a white university campus and the family and personal struggles which, at points, impact their academic progress and college aspirations. The findings of this study raise serious questions about the efficacy of the overtly academic turn that has taken place in our schools and, increasingly, in college preparation programs, while ignoring the diversity and social needs of urban African American and Latino students and families. Furthermore the findings serve to inform the development of education programs intended to increase access to higher education for students of colour from poor and working class communities.   [More]  Descriptors: Economically Disadvantaged, Hispanic American Students, Educational Opportunities, College Preparation

Gamble, Eddie L. (2009). Memphis Literacy Academy Reading Initiative Effect of Academic Achievement on Elementary Students, ProQuest LLC. Forty five percent of the students' receiving Title I funds in urban lower class inner city schools and 20% of the students not receiving Title I funds in American public schools are reading below proficient on standardized tests. The goal of No Child Left Behind Legislation was to make sure that 95% of all students are reading at a proficient level. This high-stakes state testing requirement created the need to study whether or not the Memphis Literacy Academy's (MLA) focus on reading initiative affects elementary students reading proficiency of two public elementary schools in Memphis, Tennessee. The purpose of the quantitative causal-comparative retrospective study was to determine whether or not the Memphis Literacy Academy's focus on reading initiative affects the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test reading scores of students in two elementary schools in the Memphis City Public School District. Results of the study were significant to educational organizations in that the Memphis Literacy Academy's focus on reading initiative improves reading literacy among students. First, the Memphis City Public School District has allocated funding for the Memphis Literacy Academy's focus on reading initiative and several other literacy programs. Analysis of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement test reading scores showed that the increase in reading scores for Lucie E. Campbell Elementary receiving the MLA reading initiative; was significantly greater than the increase in reading scores of Treadwell Elementary given the Reading First instruction without the MLA reading initiative an exception to the rule was the fifth grade students. The percentage of students scoring in the advanced category at Lucie E. Campbell was more than double that of students at Treadwell students. The descriptive statistics revealed a significant increase from the mean scaled scores of the students at Treadwell Elementary to the mean scaled scores of the students at Lucie E. Campbell using Memphis Literacy Academy's focus on reading initiative. The growth in the mean scale score for the students at Lucie E. Campbell determined that the Memphis Literacy Academy's focus on reading initiative does have a significant beneficial effect on the reading scores of the students at Lucie E. Campbell as compared to the students at Treadwell Elementary. Since the Memphis City Public School District is a large urban educational organization, the ability to compare and contrast the various literacy programs at schools should be the target goal of the Board of Education. Educational research is a systematic process, but one that will facilitate and encourage learning for all students.   [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: Federal Legislation, Standardized Tests, Scoring, Urban Areas

Allensworth, Elaine M. (2005). Dropout Rates after High-Stakes Testing in Elementary School: A Study of the Contradictory Effects of Chicago's Efforts to End Social Promotion, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Across the country, grade promotion is tied increasingly to performance on standardized tests. One concern about such policies is that they might increase dropout rates. Policy proponents counter that adverse effects of grade retention should be more than offset by beneficial effects from rising achievement. Using data from Chicago, this study examines dropout rates after implementation of an eighth-grade promotion standard. The results indicate that retention by the policy did have adverse effects on dropping out, but the relationship was smaller than seen with traditional teacher-initiated retention and was unrelated to the timing of dropping out. Systemwide, slight decreases in dropout rates among the 90% of students who were not retained counterbalanced the higher dropout rates among those retained.   [More]  Descriptors: School Holding Power, Dropouts, Standardized Tests, High Stakes Tests

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