This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Grace Taylor, S. Michelle Whichard, Justin Rosenthal, Diane N. Villwock, Lorrie A. Shepard, Mimi Engel, Paul R. Sackett, Freya Kinner, Washington National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, and Donald E. Heller.
(2001). High Stakes Testing and Expected Progress Standards for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Five-Year Study of One District, School Psychology Review. Reading scores of 461 students with learning disabilities were followed across 5 years as the district implemented a state-mandated accountability plan and large scale testing program. Analyses indicate that the district's performance with students with learning disabilities improved in terms of mean reading score and percent proficient in reading in elementary school across the 5 years. (Contains 44 references and 5 tables.) Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accountability, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education
(2000). A Case Study of East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) School District and Its Role as a Partner in the NSF-Supported Delta Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI). This case study examines the history and current circumstances of education in East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) in the context of its participation in the Delta Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI), which aims to improve science and mathematics achievement through systemic reform. This report describes the parish's history, demography, and economic condition; the school system and its involvement with the Delta RSI; and progress on the National Science Foundation's "six drivers of educational system reform": implementation of standards-based curriculum, supportive policies, convergence of resources to support math and science programs, broad-based parent and community support, improved student achievement, and improved equity of achievement. The parish lies in the heart of Louisiana's plantation country and has low educational attainment and high rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, single parenthood, and unemployment. Student aspirations are low and place little value on education. The school system serves approximately 2,900 students, about 80 percent Black, in three elementary, two middle, and two high schools. (Most White students attend private schools.) The RSI attempts to increase local capacity to improve math and science education by providing professional development and technical assistance and fostering resource convergence and community engagement. Evaluators found weak or no evidence of developing success on four drivers of reform and moderate evidence of progress on the other two. Although this school system is the type targeted by the RSI, the RSI intervention did not fit local needs. The standards-based curriculum did not connect with student/community needs, professional development was undermined by high teacher turnover, and state-mandated high-stakes testing had negative impacts. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Black Education, Case Studies, Community Characteristics
(2000). High-Stakes Testing and State Financial Aid: Evidence from Michigan. This study examined the relationship between students' socioeconomic characteristics and qualification for a merit scholarship in a new, state-run program. The Michigan merit award scholarship program provides scholarships of up to $2,500 for students who score at Level 1 or 2 of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program High School Tests. Eleventh graders who took these tests in the spring of 1999 were the first cohort eligible for the scholarships, to be given when they enrolled in 2000 or later. The program relies on funds from the state's tobacco settlement. Michigan's would be the largest state merit award program to rely on standardized instruments as the sole criterion for scholarship eligibility. Data were from the Michigan Department of Education. The study found that White, Asian American, and female students, and those in wealthier communities, were likely to be awarded a disproportionate number of scholarships. These findings suggest that the scholarship program will be unlikely to meet the goal of increasing access to higher education in the state. (Contains 4 tables, 3 figures, 9 endnotes, and 40 references.) [More] Descriptors: Disadvantaged Youth, High Stakes Tests, Higher Education, Low Income Groups
(1997). High Stakes Assessment: A Research Agenda for English Language Learners. Symposium Summary. NCBE Report. High stakes assessment involves testing students for purposes such as grade level retention or advancement, high school graduation, selection for special programs or services, or for other "high stakes" consequences. Issues surrounding the high stakes assessment of English language learners (ELLs) were the focus of an August 1997 invitational symposium sponsored by the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (Department of Education), whose proceedings are summarized here. The report addresses three central questions, describes the symposium discussion on each, and presents research recommendations arising from the discussion. The questions include: at what point does testing a child in a second language yield meaningful results?; What accommodations are appropriate for testing ELLs?; and What is the role native language assessment plays in high stakes testing? A list of participants is appended. [More] Descriptors: Conferences, Decision Making, Elementary Secondary Education, English (Second Language)
(2001). Outlier Detection in High-Stakes Certification Testing. Research Report. Recent developments of person-fit analysis in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) are discussed. Methods from statistical process control are presented that have been proposed to classify an item score pattern as fitting or misfitting the underlying item response theory (IRT) model in a CAT. Most person-fit research in CAT is restricted to simulated data. In this study, empirical data from a certification test were used. The item score patterns of 1,392 examinees were analyzed. Alternatives are discussed to generate norms so that bounds can be determined to classify an item score pattern as fitting or misfitting. Using bounds determined from a sample of a high-stakes certification test, the empirical analysis shows that the different types of misfit can be distinguished. Further applications using statistical process control methods to detect misfitting item score patterns are discussed. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 26 references.) [More] Descriptors: Adaptive Testing, Certification, Computer Assisted Testing, High Stakes Tests
(1998). About Those Private School Achievements, Phi Delta Kappan. According to 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress science results, there is no difference between private and public school performance by the time one reaches the 75th percentile of grade 12. Recent SAT scores for the top 20% of students indicate teachers are not inflating grades. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) indicates that high-stakes NAEP testing does not improve performance. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Achievement Tests, Elementary Secondary Education, Grade Inflation
(2001). The Grasshopper and the Ant: Motivational Responses of Low-Achieving Students to High-Stakes Testing, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Examined the responses of 102 low achieving sixth and eighth graders to Chicago's highly publicized efforts to end social promotion. Students generally described increased work efforts, and students with high levels of work effort generally had greater than average learning gains and positive outcomes in terms of promotion. About one-third of students, however, showed little work effort. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Change, High Stakes Tests, Junior High School Students
(2001). The Challenge of Curricular and Instructional Improvement in an Era of High Stakes Testing. Middle School Leadership, Middle School Journal. Discusses two challenges facing middle level leaders in their efforts to emphasize curriculum and instruction: creating and maintaining high-quality developmentally appropriate curriculum and instruction in an era of standards-based reform and high-stakes accountability, and assisting teachers in making the changes in their classrooms that will support student learning. Descriptors: Academic Standards, Administrative Policy, Administrator Responsibility, Administrator Role
(2002). A Survey of Teachers' Perspectives on High-Stakes Testing in Colorado: What Gets Taught, What Gets Lost. CSE Technical Report. Using a random sample of 1,000 Colorado teachers, this study surveyed the effects of standards, the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP), and school report cards on instruction and test-related practices. Findings show that standards were perceived to have greater impact on improving instruction than did testing. Teachers said they aligned their curriculum, instruction, and lessons to the Colorado standards by adding important content. Attention to the state standards improved the quality of writing instruction and focused instruction in reading, probability, geometry, and mathematics problem-solving explanations. The reported effects of CSAP testing were more mixed. Attention to CSAP improved writing instruction but shifted instruction away from social studies and science, increased the time spent on test format practice, and lowered faculty morale. Nine appendixes provide additional information, including survey responses. (Contains 12 tables and 26 references.) [More] Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, State Programs, State Standards, Teacher Surveys
(1989). How Standardized Is School Testing? An Exploratory Observational Study of Standardized Group Testing in Kindergarten, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. A qualitative observational study of standardized group testing in 10 kindergartens revealed variations in testing conditions, discrepancies from standardized administration procedures, and variations in children's behavior that contributed to difficulties in maintaining a uniform testing process. High-stakes group testing in kindergarten should be reexamined. Descriptors: Classroom Observation Techniques, Group Testing, Kindergarten, Primary Education
(1997). The Problem of High Stakes Assessment in Public Education. Whether increasing reliance on policy-driven assessment for accountability and control of educational institutions is actually sabotaging long-term goals and purposes of the schools is explored, questioning whether current practices of high-stakes testing are anathema to real education values. The distinction between policy-driven assessment and instructional evaluation is described. The assumptions and purposes underlying scientific and political evaluation as opposed to those of diagnostic assessment are probed, and the work of Jennie Oakes and others is used as the basis for deriving a recommendation for valid, reliable, and appropriate assessments on both individual and institutional levels to facilitate the development of effective schools. Despite the criticism of high-stakes testing, it is not recommended that policy-driven high-stakes tests be abolished. Instead, their rational, effective, and judicious use should be the objective. Formative diagnostic methods and approaches are needed as an integral part of effective instructional programs and program development. (Contains 18 references.) [More] Descriptors: Accountability, Educational Assessment, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education
(2001). High-Stakes Testing in Employment, Credentialing, and Higher Education: Prospects in a Post-Affirmative-Action World, American Psychologist. Subgroup differences are expected on traditional knowledge, skill, ability, and achievement tests. Considers actions to reduce differences and fairly assess individual attributes. Suggests that selection materials assess the full range of relevant attributes using a format that minimizes verbal content as much as is appropriate. Recommends using test preparation, face-valid assessments, and consideration of relevant job or life experiences. Descriptors: Affirmative Action, Culture Fair Tests, Diversity (Student), High Stakes Tests
(2000). None of the Above: The Promise and Peril of High-Stakes Testing, American School Board Journal. High-stakes tests can set a clear, challenging hurdle for students and schools, while increasing the numbers of failing kids. Costs and benefits include increased equity, clear and focused curricula, efficient use of resources, achievement-based school personnel evaluations, limited local decision making, narrow curriculum, and favored course content. Descriptors: Accountability, Disadvantaged Youth, Education Work Relationship, Educational Benefits
(1991). Will National Tests Improve Student Learning?, Phi Delta Kappan. Summarizes the negative effects of high-stakes standardized testing, presents the national testing vision outlined by the National Education Goals Panel, and identifies curricular and technical problems needing resolution before the NEGP's vision can be realized. Negative effects include politically inflated scores, narrowed curricula, and reliance on outmoded drill-and-practice instruction. (36 references) Descriptors: Educational Benefits, Elementary Secondary Education, National Competency Tests, Politics of Education
(1999). High Stakes: Testing for Tracking, Promotion, and Graduation. This study looks at how testing affects critical decisions for U.S. students, focusing on the impact of testing on individual students. It examines common misuses of tests, their political and social contexts, what happens when test issues are taken to court, special student populations, social promotion, and other issues of current interest. The Committee on Appropriate Test Use of the Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council adopted three principal criteria for determining whether test use is appropriate. Measurement validity, attribution of cause, and effectiveness of treatment are the criteria on which the basic principles of appropriate test use lie. The chapters of this report are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Assessment Policy and Politics"; (3) "Legal Frameworks"; (4) "Tests as Measurement"; (5) "Tracking"; (6) "Promotion and Retention"; (7) "Awarding or Withholding High School Diplomas"; (8) "Students with Disabilities"; (9) "English-Language Learners"; (10) "Use of Voluntary National Test Scores for Tracking, Promotion, or Graduation Decisions"; (11) "Potential Strategies for Promoting Appropriate Test Use"; and (12) "Findings and Recommendations." Each chapter contains references. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Decision Making, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests