This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Samuel J. Meisels, Tracie Yarbrough, Brett D. Jones, Gene V. Glass, Catherine Luna, Judith Solsken, Anne McGill-Franzen, Bruce Thompson, Karen F. Thomas, and Leigh Armistead.
(1989). Raising the Stakes in Statewide Mandatory Minimum Competency Testing. The mandated minimum competency programs of two states–Pennsylvania and Maryland–are examined, and some of the effects on school districts of raising the testing stakes are reviewed. In a survey conducted during the winter of 1986-87 in Pennsylvania and Maryland, one teacher, one principal, and one central office staff member each from 277 Pennsylvania districts and 23 Maryland school systems replied to a questionnaire on the testing program. The stakes increased in Maryland due to the approach of the time when Maryland students would be responsible for passing all four state competency tests to graduate. The stakes increased in Pennsylvania due to a brief public release of school district rankings based on test scores from the spring of 1987 test administration. The survey results indicate that school districts in higher stakes testing situations make more adjustments to instruction and organization than do districts in lower stakes situations. In both states, the perception of higher stakes associated with testing resulted in an intensification of the pressure on local educators to improve test scores, which in turn stimulated changes in local practices. High stakes statewide testing programs were seen to alter the political character of districts by increasing the probability that community elements could and would exercise influence. Such effects of high stakes testing could counteract efforts to reform teaching. [More] Descriptors: Educational Assessment, Educational Change, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary Secondary Education
(1999). School Law in Review, 1999. Papers presented at the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys' Annual School Law Seminar (San Francisco, California, April 8-10, 1999). The Annual School Law Seminar, held in conjunction with the conference of the National School Boards Asociation (NSBA), is the NSBA Council of School Attorney's forum for presenting the most recent developments in the practice of school law. The two general sessions and two concurrent sessions included the following papers: "Presenting Threats of Violence in Schools from Turning into a Tragedy" (Lisa L. Swem); "The Attorney's Role In Responding to Violence: A Case Study of Jonesboro, Arkansas" (Janet L. Pulliam); "Preparing to Handle the News Media During a Crisis" (Anne-Marie St. Germaine); "The New Accountability: Legal Implications of High Stakes Testing in Education" (R. Craig Wood, Dana T. Buckman); "What to Ask–Legal and Policy Issues in Conducting Effective Background Investigations" (A. Dean Pickett); "What to Tell–Legal and Policy Problems with References About Former Employees" (Thomas W. Pickrell); "The Attorney-Client Privilege: Challenges to a Traditional Value (Nancy Fredman Krent, Roopal Mehta Saran); "Bargaining and Labor Relations Issues of School Reform: Higher Standards for Certification/Re-certification of Teachers and Merit Pay Based on Student Performance" (David A. Farmelo); "Collective Bargaining and School Reform" (Frank J. Fekete); "Public Relations Aspects of Managing a Strike" (J. Robert Kettlewell); "IEP Development and Placement: A 'Serviceable Chevrolet' for All, Not a 'Cadillac' for Some" (Deryl W. Wynn, Juliann Johnson); "Practical Suggestions to Educators: Avoiding Procedural Violations of the IDEA" (Julie J. Weatherly); and"Disciplining the Disabled: An Analysis of the Law and Court and Hearing Officer Interpretations Under the Reauthorized IDEA" (Janet Little Horton). Descriptors: Compliance (Legal), Elementary Secondary Education, Legal Responsibility, School Administration
(1991). Effects of High-Stakes Testing on Instruction. The effects of standardized testing on instruction were studied in two school districts with high-stakes testing. The present study was part of a larger research project concerned with the effect of testing on instruction and student learning. A total of 360 teachers in grades 3, 5, and 6 in approximately 100 schools in two districts answered a questionnaire addressing test preparation/coaching practices and the effects of testing on instruction. A limitation of the study was the overall response rate of 42%, suggesting that the respondents were not necessarily representative of all teachers. Teachers reported that they felt pressured to improve test scores by the district administration and the media. Because of the importance of testing, teachers gave greater emphasis to basic skills instruction. They felt that content not tested suffered because of the focus on the standardized tests. Testing further distorted teaching because of the extensive time given to test preparation. While it was agreed that flagrant cheating was rare, practices that would clearly boost test scores, such as rephrasing questions, were considered to occur more frequently. Teachers were aware of extensive use of test results for external purposes such as comparisons of schools or districts. In open-ended questions, teachers could point to many benefits from standardized testing, but they felt that these were outweighed by the drawbacks. Fourteen tables summarize the questionnaire results. A 13-item list of references is included. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Attitude Measures, Educational Practices, Elementary Education
(2000). The Impact of High-Stakes Testing on Teaching and Learning: Can This Be Predicted or Controlled?, System. Summarizes what language testers have learned about test impact in the last decade and discusses what one model of educational innovation has revealed about how tests interact with other factors in the testing situation. Concludes with a set of recommendations about the steps future tests developers might take in order to assess the amount of risk involved in attempting to create change through testing. Descriptors: Educational Innovation, High Stakes Tests, Language Tests, Second Language Instruction
(2000). What's At Stake in High-Stakes Testing: Teachers and Parents Speak Out, Journal of Teacher Education. Reports findings from interviews with teachers and parents in two states that have standards, attendant benchmarks, and standardized tests to assess students on the standards. Results indicate that teachers and parents are unanimous about the intense stress on all involved, the undermining of meaningful instruction and learning, and the high stakes involved. Differences exist between respondents in the two states. Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Higher Education, Parent Attitudes
(2000). Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing in North Carolina: Teacher Perceptions, ERS Spectrum. Examines some negative consequences of North Carolina's statewide testing system, based on perceptions of 236 elementary teachers. Respondents reported high levels of stress and lower morale, a narrowed curriculum, and decreased student love of learning. They also believed widespread grade repetition was inevitable. (Contains 15 references.) Descriptors: Elementary Education, Faculty Workload, Grade Repetition, High Stakes Tests
(1989). High-Stakes Testing in Kindergarten, Educational Leadership. School districts are increasingly instituting kindergarten retention policies and establishing readiness and pre-first-grade transition programs. Using readiness tests to classify, promote, and retain children is inappropriate and costly. Various high stakes tests are reviewed and alternative strategies suggested. Includes 18 references. Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Class Size, Criterion Referenced Tests, Early Childhood Education
(1988). Symbolic Validation: The Case of State-Mandated, High-Stakes Testing, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. High-stakes state-mandated testing programs are discussed, illustrating that proposed educational innovations are adopted because of their power as symbols of value orientations in the wider culture. In such programs, tests represent order and control, focus on important outcomes, and symbolize basic moral values. Descriptors: College Entrance Examinations, Cultural Influences, Educational Change, Educational Improvement
(2001). Grading the North Carolina Student Accountability Standards. Student Accountability Standards and High-Stakes Testing in North Carolina: A Position Statement and Supporting Paper. School psychologists are in a unique position to add to the discussion about accountability efforts and the effect on students, teachers, and education. At the end of North Carolina's 2000-2001 school year, End-of-Grade (EOG) scores will be used to hold individual students accountable for their own achievement. Fifth graders will be required to score a Level III on both EOG reading comprehension and math in order to be promoted, and next year eight graders will face similar gateways. The North Carolina School Psychology Association contends that use of Student Accountability Standards (SAS) to make major decisions about individual students is not adequately validated and will cause serious harm to the state's most vulnerable students. They question the fairness of EOG test results and the disproportionate impact of certain aspects of the SAS on minority and culturally disadvantaged students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with limited English language. This report points out how EOG test results does not measure up to established standards of reliability, validity, and fairness necessary for making decisions about individual students. Several arguments are presented on the detrimental effects of retention on students. Alternatives to this method are presented that support student learning and help prevent student failure. (Contains 30 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Academic Standards, Disadvantaged, Elementary Education
(2002). Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2002: Numbers 1-25, Education Policy Analysis Archives. This document consists of articles 1 through 25 published in the electronic journal Education Policy Analysis Archives for the year 2002: (1) Testing and Diversity in Postsecondary Education: The Case of California (Daniel Koretz, Michael Russell, Chingwei David Shin, Cathy Horn, and Kelly Shasby); (2) State-Mandated Testing and Teachers Beliefs and Practice (Sandra Cimbricz); (3) Socratic Pedagogy, Race, and Power: From People to Propositions (Peter Boghossian); (4) Technology Is Changing Whats Fair Use in TeachingAgain (Linda Howe-Stegier and Brian C. Donohue); (5) The Power-discourse Relationship in a Croatian Higher Education Setting (Renata Fox and John Fox); (6) Technical and Ethical Issues in Indicator Systems: Doing Things Right and Doing Wrong Things (Carol Taylor Fitz-Gibbon and Peter Tymms); (7) Exito in California? A Validity Critique of Language Program Evaluations and Analysis of English Learner Test Scores (Marilyn S. Thompson, Kristen E. DiCerbo, Kate Mahoney, and Jeff MacSwan); (8) Reaction to Boltons Significance of Test-based Ratings for Metropolitan Boston Schools (Stephan Michelson); (9) Confusing the Messenger with the Message: A Response to Bolon (Victor L. Willson and Thomas Kellow); (10) Response to Michelson and to Willson and Kellow (Craig Bolon); (11) Women in Managerial Positions in Greek Education: Evidence of Inequality (Anastasia Athanassoula-Reppa and Manolis Koutouzis); (12) How Schools Matter: The Link between Teacher Classroom Practices and Student Academic Performance (Harold Wenglinsky); (13) Los Rituales Escolares y las Practicas Educativas (Pablo Daniel Vain); (14) Japanese Higher Education Policy in Korea during the Colonial Period (1919-1945) (Jeong-Kyu Lee); (15) Basic Education Reform in China: Untangling the Story of Success (Chengzhi Wang and Quanhua Zhou); (16) Quantifying Quality: What Can the U.S. News and World Report Rankings Tell Us about the Quality of Higher Education (Marguerite Clarke); (17) Are Increasing Test Scores in Texas Really a Myth, Or Is Haneys Myth a Myth? (Laurence A. Toenjes and A. Gary Dworkin); (18) High-Stakes Testing, Uncertainty, and Student Learning (Audrey L. Amrein and David C. Berliner); (19) Entrepreneurial Ambitions in the Public Sector:A Random Effects Model of the Emergence of Charter Schools in North Carolina (Linda A. Renzulli); (20) The Amalgamation of Chinese Higher Education Institutions (David Y. Chen); (21) The Possibility of Reform: Micropolitics in Higher Education (Susan Haag and Mary Lee Smith); (22) Affirmative Action in Higher Education: An Analysis of Practices and Policies (Alfred R. Cade, Jr.); (23) School-Based Management: Views from Public and Private Elementary School Principals (Mary T. Apodaca-Tucker and John R. Slate); (24) Lake Woebeguaranteed: Misuse of Test Scores in Massachusetts, Part I (Walt Haney); and (25) Policy and Practice: Restructuring Teachers Work (Lisa Kirtman). [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Change, Elementary Secondary Education, Equal Education
(1999). High-Stakes Testing: Barrier to Gifted Girls in Mathematics and Science, School Science and Mathematics. Explores possible reasons for the gender gap in scores on the mathematics section of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT-M) including test bias, variability in scores, the timed nature of the test, and environmental factors. Contains 29 references. Descriptors: Females, Gifted, Mathematics Education, Secondary Education
(1993). GRE Percentile Ranks Cannot Be Added or Averaged: A Position Paper Exploring the Scaling Characteristics of Percentile Ranks, and the Ethical and Legal Culpabilities Created by Adding Percentile Ranks in Making "High-Stakes" Admission Decisions. The nature of percentile ranks scores is explored using concrete heuristic examples. It is explained why arithmetic operations require measurement on equal-interval scales, and that percentile ranks are not measured on equal-interval scales and therefore may not be added or averaged. The consequences of inappropriately adding percentile ranks are explored from the perspectives of various textbook authors. The discussion is couched in the context of the legal requirements for high-stakes testing. The information presented herein is not new or previously unknown, rather, the distinguishing characteristics of the position paper hopefully include clarity and concreteness of presentation. (Five figures and two tables illustrate the discussion, and an appendix provides additional commentary. Contains 31 references.) [More] Descriptors: College Admission, College Entrance Examinations, Decision Making, Ethics
(2000). Defining Literacy: Lessons from High-Stakes Teacher Testing, Journal of Teacher Education. Offers an inquiry-oriented approach based on the New Literacy Studies to help prospective teachers prepare for high-stakes standardized tests like the Communication and Literacy Skills (CLS) portion of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Tests. The paper describes a specific activity, inviting preservice teachers to explore the social nature of literacies, investigate CLS characteristics, and reflect on high-stakes assessment. Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, High Stakes Tests, Higher Education
(1999). The Impact of High-Stakes Testing on Teachers and Students in North Carolina, Phi Delta Kappan. Under North Carolina's ABC's accountability program, public schools are labeled "exemplary,""meets expectations,""adequate performance," or "low performance." Teachers are given $1,500 bonuses if their schools exceed expectations. A survey found that mandated tests increased student anxiety and negatively influenced instructional strategies and love of learning. (Contains 39 references.) Descriptors: Accountability, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Program Effectiveness
(1993). Flunk'em or Get Them Classified: The Contamination of Primary Grade Accountability Data, Educational Researcher. Argues that high-stakes primary grade testing increases pressure on low-achieving schools to improve test performance and increases chances that low achieving children will be retained in grade or classified as handicapped. It is suggested that current practices be modified to eliminate motives to engage in such placement practices. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Classification, Decision Making