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 | U.S. schools face stricter standards
During the last decade, state and federal policy-makers have heightened their focus on standards-based accountability for public schools, a shift that has brought with it a host of new high-stakes tests. This increased reliance on testing has resulted in a heated debate about how much of a role testing should play in assessing America's students and schools.
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| |  | Two superintendents discuss high-stakes testing: Washington Post education writer Jay Mathews sponsors a lively e-mail debate between Bellevue, Wash., schools chief Mike Riley and Fairport, N.Y., schools superintendent Bill Cala about the pros and cons of national and state tests. Although Riley believes flawed instruments still can yield good information, Cala counters when such tests can jeopardize a child's chance of going to college, they cause enormous harm. The Washington Post (6/1)
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| | | ASCD's stance on high-stakes testing: Read a statement outlining ASCD's position on high-stakes testing.
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| An international issue
Although the focus on high-stakes testing is relatively new in the U.S., it has long been an integral part of education systems in other countries. Testing plays such a large role in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, that some educators and policy-makers are pushing for a shift toward the more student-directed approach to schooling traditionally associated with U.S. schools. Education Week (6/23), TIME (4/25), The Straits Times (Singapore) (5/10)
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| The News
Access an extensive collection of articles about testing and accountability from SmartBrief's news archive. To register for this free service, simply type in the e-mail address at which you receive SmartBrief and create a password. Sign up now.
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| Accountability and Assessment | |
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| States hold schools accountable for success
All 50 states now have implemented performance-based accountability measures that aim to improve the overall academic performance of schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In some states, policy-makers have instituted exit exams -- tests that all high school students must pass to earn a diploma. These have stirred up a great deal of controversy in the education community and beyond, particularly in states with large subgroups of students who may have difficulty passing them. Click here for extensive information on accountability and assessment from the Education Commission of the States.
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| Report: States must do more to help at-risk students pass exit exams
According to a new study (Adobe Acrobat required) by the nonprofit Center on Education Policy, minority students are more likely than their white peers to fail exit exams. The tests seem to be encouraging schools to cover more content, but have resulted in a narrowing of curricula, the study said. The CEP found that more research is needed to determine if the exams are encouraging students to drop out. The Christian Science Monitor (8/19)
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| | | Study: States set bar low for high school exit exams: According to a study (Adobe Acrobat required) of graduation exams in six states, high school seniors need only middle school-level knowledge taught in other industrialized countries to pass math and English exit tests. The bipartisan nonprofit group Achieve Inc., which conducted the study, recommends states establish additional measures of achievement and gradually make the exams harder. Stateline.org (6/10)
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| | | Experts examine possible link between exit exams and dropout rates: Some education experts have theorized that exit exams may lead to higher dropout rates, a topic explored at a recent panel discussion hosted by the Center on Educational Policy. However, new research released in May by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research indicates that exit exams have not had an adverse affect on graduation rates. Jay P. Greene, a senior fellow at the Institute, says the study found that many of the students who couldn't pass the exams would have dropped out anyway. The Tennessean (Nashville) (4/28)
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| Assessment program hailed, condemned in England
Education Week assesses the accountability movement in England, where the impact of testing and the publication of school ranking have been the subject of fierce debate. Some are concerned that the current emphasis on testing is narrowing the curriculum and placing undue pressures on teachers and students alike. Education Week (5/5)
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| Opinion: School accountability models need more balance
The health of U.S. public schools depends on the development of an evaluation method that goes beyond high-stakes testing, says Ken Jones, director of teacher education at the University of Southern Maine. Jones advocates for a four-part accountability model that measures schools' performance based on four criteria: student learning; opportunity to learn; responsiveness to students, parents and community; and organizational capacity for improvement. Phi Delta Kappan (8/2004)
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| Testing Resources
A collection of resources providing news and information on testing issues.
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| | | American Psychological Association American Psychological Association's statement on testing and assessment
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| | | Code of Fair Testing Practices American Psychological Association's Code of Fair Testing Practices
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| | | American Educational Research Association Statement on high-stakes testing by the American Educational Research Association
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| | | Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy
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| | | Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing
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| | | Board on Testing and Assessment, The National Academies Board on Testing and Assessment, The National Academies
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| No Child Left Behind Act emphasizes testing
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has put heavy pressure on U.S. schools to raise standardized test scores. The law requires all states to assess third- through eighth-graders annually in reading and math. Schools that fail to meet benchmarks on exams are subject to a variety of sanctions. Click here to view the U.S. Department of Education's official No Child Left Behind site.
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| | | AYP made simple: The Education Trust explains how the federal government determines which schools make "adequate yearly progress" under NCLB in its recently updated report, "The ABCs of AYP."
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| States' formula-tweaking has Some Children Left Behind
While many agree with NCLB's overall aims, opposition to the law's testing mandates has grown. Faced with having all children at the proficient level by 2014, many states have either lowered their proficiency goals or have used statistical means to exclude the scores of some low-performing subgroups. Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.)/The New York Times News Service (8/18)
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| Brainstorming fixes to NCLB's flaws
At a recent meeting sponsored by the Center on Education Policy think tank, critics of NCLB presented a number of proposal to address what they call the law's "unrealistic expectations" for schools. Their suggestions include averaging subgroup scores over multiple years and judging schools by how well individual students progress toward specific growth targets. Education Week (8/11)
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| Harvard studies examine implementation of NCLB
The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University presents a series of studies on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Although the studies discuss the law's implementation in general, they focus particularly on whether NCLB is improving educational opportunities for and performance of low-income and minority students. Civil Rights Project/Harvard University (8/12)
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| Opinion: Testing is a powerful tool
Testing is the best way to ensure that students learn a core body of information, say Matthew Gandal and Laura McGiffert of Achieve Inc. Tests should play the same role in collecting data and diagnosing problems in education as they do in the medical profession, Gandal and McGiffert say. Educational Leadership (February 2003)
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| Opinion: High-stakes testing doesn't benefit schools
High-stakes testing narrows the curriculum, causes some students to drop out of schools and encourages teachers to leave the profession, writes Monty Neill, executive director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Educational Leadership (February 2003)
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| Opinion: School reform requires common sense
Frederick M. Hess, director of education and policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, writes what he terms "status quo reformers" have held sway in school reform for decades, opting to make minor changes rather than the sweeping reforms schools require to succeed. He advocates for "common-sense reforms" that would require rethinking every aspect of the educational system, much as the No Child Left Behind Act aimed to do. Hess outlines seven principles resulting in common-sense reforms, key among them being flexibility in designing curricula, and hiring, rewarding and firing staff as needed. HGSE News (8/1)
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| SmartStat | |
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 | According to a survey by the nonprofit Public Agenda, 42% of Americans "strongly agree" and 43% "somewhat agree" that scores on statewide tests are useful for schools to evaluate how well their own students are performing.
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