High Stakes Testing

Article Review # 100695

High Stakes Testing

This paper reviews an online article by the American Psychological Association titled "Appropriate Use of High-Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools".

750 words () | 3 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that the article, "Appropriate Use of High-Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools", states that standardized, "high-risk" tests should not be the sole determinant for promotion to the next grade level, should accommodate English second language students and test-takers who have disabilities and should be evaluated themselves with an explicit break-down of test results according to specific demographics such as socio-economic factors. The author points out that the article seems to reflect accurately the concerns that high-stakes evaluations lead to "teaching to the test" pedagogical approaches that stifle active learning and creative inquiry. The paper criticizes that the article provides no guidelines, which might disclose how comity between the test's putative objectives and its actual content can be achieved.

From the Paper:

"Likewise, the article sagely raises the question of how - and certainly to what extent - high-stakes testing impacts school drop-out rates, course content changes, student anxiety and the long-term achievement rates of students. In some respects, this sort of musing actually reveals another shortcoming of the article insofar as scholarly research exists that actually goes into greater detail about the linkage between high-stakes multiple-choice testing and the reluctance of many pedagogues to embrace constructivist teaching practices."

Sample of Sources Used:

American Psychological Association. (2001). Appropriate Use of High-Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools How Should Student Learning and Achievement Be Measured. APA Press Releases. Retrieved November 27, 2006, from <http://www.apa.org/releases/testing.html>
Berube, Clair T. (2004). Are standards preventing good teaching? Clearing House, 77(6): 264-267.
Wideen, Marvin F., O'Shea, Thomas, and Pye, Ivy. (1997). High-stakes testing and the teaching of science. Canadian Journal of Education, 22(4): 428-444.