The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing

To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives.

To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives.

Features:

-Examines how high stakes testing from the perspectives of teachers, students, and
adminstrators.
-Considers how testing impacts the curriculum including tested subjects such as reading
writing, and mathematics as well as non-tested subjects such as science, social studies
physical education, and the arts.
-Documents how teachers and administrators engage in test preparation and discusses ethical
and unethical test preparation practices.
-Reviews the evolution of testing through history and how it mpacts the curriculum.
-Examines the differential effects of testing on students with special needs, minority
students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Looking through Multiple Lenses: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Testing
Chapter 3 Chapter 2: How Testing Shapes the Curriculum
Chapter 4 Chapter 3: The Impacts of Testing on Teaching Practices
Chapter 5 Chapter 4: Truth or Consequences: Preparing for the Tests
Chapter 6 Chapter 5: Testing and Student Motivation
Chapter 7 Chapter 6: No Child Left Untested: The Impact on Special Populations
Chapter 8 Chapter 7: Missing the Mark: Testing and Student Retention
Chapter 9 Chapter 8: Who Will Teach? Testing and the Teaching Profession
Chapter 10 Chapter 9: Stepping up to the Plate: Symbols of Testing
Chapter 11 Chapter 10: Reforming the Reform
Chapter 12 Chapter 11: Putting the Pieces Together