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High Stakes Testing
April 27, 2011
Being truthful about the state of our nation and world does not equal losing hope. Hope sees truth and still believes in better.
-Bernice King, American lawyer, minister, and CEO of The King Center
-Bernice King, American lawyer, minister, and CEO of The King Center
"...Test scores of students taught by the same teacher fluctuate wildly from year to year. In one study comparing two years of test scores across five urban districts, more than two-thirds of the bottom-ranked teachers one year had moved out of the bottom ranks the next year. Of this group, a full third went from the bottom 20 percent one year to the top 40 percent the next. Similarly, one-third of the teachers who ranked highest one year kept their top ranking the next, and almost a third of the formerly top-ranked teachers landed in the bottom 40 percent in year two....
"...The year-to-year instability... shows that test scores have very little to do with the effectiveness of a single teacher and more to do with the change of students from year to year...".
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Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsTemecula, CA, United States
Stan Karp's article cited below which is in the current issue of Rethinking Schools provides much insight about the reasons so many find it necessary to want to destroy our nation's system of public education--rather than to work as responsible citizens to help reform it. Much of the current rush to misguided assessment of both children and their teachers has its genesis in the forces Mr. Karp discusses. Understanding these pressures is critical for early childhood educators.
Who’s Bashing Teachers and Public Schools and What Can We Do About It?
By Stan Karp. To build an effective movement against the top-down strategies that are ripping public education apart, we need to take a closer look at who wants “reform” and why. http://rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_03/25_03_karp.shtml
United States
In regards to testing and teacher performance; I totally agree with the article today! I was a third grade teacher my last 4 years in public education. The pressure of the end-of-grade tests, along with the impending thoughts of merit pay, were the key factors for me resigning from public schools. I felt each year that I had done my very best to prepare my students for the tests, but it was very difficult when I had students who entered my class at the beginning of the year reading on a 1st grade level. Not only do teachers contend with children who are at a huge disadvantage from the very beginning, but there are also other children who have critical issues dealing with taking tests.
The pressure on teachers regarding end-of-grade tests and their ranking each year on tests scores, is in great need of our school systems taking a serious look at the reasons for yearly changes. Each group of children from year to year, is a huge factor regarding tests results.
Thank you for sharing this article!
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