Pros and Cons of High Stakes Testing
High Stakes testing is defined as "any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, school, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability- i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers."
As a future educator accountability is important. You want to know that what you are teaching is effective. I want to know that my students are acquiring the knowledge needed. As a parent I love the data that informs me that the school that my children are enrolled in is a good school. Under the No Child Left Behind Act in 2000 every state was mandated to have state mandated tests. Unfortunately with everything there are pros and cons. The argument about High Stakes testing now is that there are too many test out there, and that these test are used to determine promotion. Many teachers are now feeling pressured to teach for the test. In some states the test scores becomes the evaluation for the teachers and many are losing their jobs as a result of this. High Stakes testing doesn't accommodate students with special needs and ELL students. High Stakes testing also seems to only focus on English and Math and not the other subjects.
I have mixed feelings about High Stakes testing. In the world of academia our children are going to have to get used to taking High Stakes exams. They will have ACT, PSAT, SAT, GRE etc. I just recently bought my daughter a PSAT book and she is only going into the 8th grade. I want her to get over the anxiety that is associated with High Stakes testing. I had to take several PRAXIS exams recently and still have a silent stroke when you mention the name. You hear so many things about the negative aspects of testing. I have also seen first hand the anxiety, biased test questions, resources not being equally distributed and errors in scoring. So what do we do? Data is important to determine the progress of our education system.
I do think that we need" High Stakes" testing in school. It is important to know how the students are doing. Maybe we should change the name of High Stakes, that term alone causes stress. I do not agree with how the results are used. One exam should not determine the promotional criteria. The teachers are the one who work with the students and they should be the ones determining pass/fail. I have several friends and know of several students who have test anxiety. High Stakes testing doesn't know the students personally. I also believe that adequate resources should be distributed amongst the schools. Title 1 schools seem to suffer more. Opting out became a huge factor parents were being told of their rights and were taking action in other states. In NY even though we knew we had the right to opt out, most schools(my children title 1 school) were penalizing students if you didn't come in on the days for ELA testing. The pressure from this debate changed the results of not passing the ELA exams. I saw students crying before the exam, asthma attacks, headaches, stomach aches etc. Teachers were stressed out as well. I have a lot of friends that just couldn't deal with the pressure from the administration in regards to test scores and left the teaching profession all together. After the test was taken, you didn't receive your scores until August and you had to go to the school and fight for to receive them. Now in NYC the ELA exams are not the sole means for promotion. There is still a lot of pressure on teachers about it because these grades determine how schools are graded and funded. The school gets a grade and funding accordingly. I have seen so many negative aspects and so much pressure on the teachers on getting these kids to pass that I am only getting certified for Early Childhood Education Pre-k3-3. I am praying I don't have to teach 3rd grade any time soon. I do not want that pressure on me. I believe it stunts your growth as a teacher. I don't want to teach for a test.
I recently moved to Maryland and learned of the PARCC exams. The Partnership for assessment of readiness for college and careers (PARCC) is a group of states working together to develop a modern assessment that replaces standardized tests. It provides better feedback for teachers and parents to identify if a student needs helps or is excelling. They use the data from these scores to meet individual student needs. My two children are in testing grades. In NY there is so much anxiety around ELA testing, I was nervous for my them. To my surprise the state of Maryland is very calm when it comes to PARCC testing. The test is done online instead of paper. Also the dates vary. In NYC every public school had the math on the same three days and the English on the same three days. In Maryland schools appeared to pick their days. They just had to have them done by a certain deadline. There were no big meetings about testing, my children didn't come home stressed about the dates and everything went smoothly. I love the way they create a more calming and positive environment toward the PARCC exams. No pressure and very supportive.
I did my clinical at a Elementary School in Fort Meade Maryland. I was in the second grade and this is not a testing grade. However my students and the first grade students were affected by the PARCC exams. U nfortunately the school didn't have enough computers to test everyone at the same time. So they had to completely change the school schedule. Originally my students had lunch at 10:45 , recess at 11:15, and specials (music, gym, media) at 12:20. On PARCC exam days the students had specials at 8:30am, lunch at 10:45 and recess at 1:30. School gets out at 2:30. So from 11:15 to 1:30 it felt like the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. I felt bad that although they were not a testing grade their environment became stressful to accommodate the testing grades.
I believe High Stakes testing is very important. When it comes to High Stakes testing it is important that the states ensure that these exams be free of biases and that resources be equal state to state. I also believe that if you allow the teachers to teach the curriculum students will be adequately prepared. When you are fully prepared for an exam you are comfortable. Creating a non stressful environment for both teacher and student is key to passing exams. It is refreshing to hear that for the many states that may put to much pressure on High Stakes exams there are many states that don't. There needs to be data collected from those states so they can be utilized on how to improve the quality of these assessments. I am relieved to learn how comfortable Maryland makes these assessments. Being able to compete in this 21st Century world, we need quality education. High Stakes testing in inevitable, we just need to work on the execution.
References:
High-Stakes Test Definition. (2013). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/
The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing
About. (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://www.parcconline.org/about
Prepare for PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/parcc/
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