There is very little criticism in the science education literature about the science standards, and the use of high-stakes tests.  An issue I raise here is should the use of high-stakes tests not only in science, but other content areas be continued?

I am being motivated to discuss this issue, as I did the decentralization of education (in the previous post) because of the US Presidential election “season” that is in full swing right now.  Both major US political parties are suggesting that changes are needed in Washington, but neither Party has drifted away from or suggested significant changes in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which now dominates school systems and state departments of education around the country.  This issue of high stakes testing also resonates in other countries around the world.  I suspect that most politicians would not consider eliminating high-stakes testing.  Yet, research on high-stakes testing has shown that it results in unintended and negative consequences.

Because of the NCLB Act, nearly all states are implementing high-stakes testing programs.  High stakes tests are those from which results are used to make significant decisions about schools, teachers, students, and administrators.  High-stakes testing is part of a movement in which you hear key phrases such as “tougher standards,” accountability, and a “more rigorous curriculum.  It has taken over schooling, and I suggest here that it has not contributed to a more equitable or quality education for students.  You might want to read this article by Alfie Kohn in conjunction with this post about the notion of testing.

Just at a time when states are requiring high school exit examinations, many universities have begun to deemphasize the use of standardized tests (such as the SAT) in making admission decisions about large numbers of students.  This is a dilemma.

High-stakes tests have real consequences.  Results on tests taken by pre-teens and teenagers can be used to:

• close, revoke, and take over low scoring schools
• provide monetary rewards to high-performing schools
• replacing teachers or principals
• determining grade-to-grade promotion
• allowing parents to move students from low performing schools to other schools

These seem reasonable and harsh, don’t they.  However, in states that do have high-stakes graduation examinations, researchers found that:

• 67% of students scored lower on ACT and SAT performance
• 62% of the states posted an increase in the dropout rate
• 67% posted a decrease in the rate by which students graduated from high school
• 56% more students now are taking the GED

In addition to these drastic effects on students, in many states, testing is determining what taught in schools.  Each year, more and more time is spent “preparing” students for end-of-year or graduation exams, instead of focusing on topics in the curriculum that might be interesting and valuable for students.  The structure of schooling, as determined by testing, and a rigid curriculum removes the possibilities for experimentation and alternatives.  Bernard Frysham, Professor of Physics at NY Institute of Technology put it is this way in an article in Education Week:

As it is, we have created an educational structure that is convenient for government, convenient for teachers, and convenient for society—but seemingly highly unsuitable for many young people. We must keep in mind that the frustration which brings a student to leave school is often accompanied by a disavowal of community and its norms. Is this not a possible source of our unemployed, our unemployable, our young people in the streets?

If we were to eliminate high-stakes testing, there are many alternatives that could be used to assess student growth, and development, and also provide teachers, administrators, and parents with more valuable information on how students are faring in school.  I’ll go into these in the days ahead, and also show why international assessments have been misrepresented, and do not at all reflect the nature of learning in school science and mathematics.  For now, I ask you to think about your views about high-stakes tests, and whether the educational system would fall into abyss if we eliminated them.