High-Stakes Testing Is Putting the Nation at Risk
This commentary by David C. Berliner & Sharon L. Nichols was published back in March on Education Week. We all need to add this to our arsenal of facts about high-stakes testing. I don’t know if you will be able to access it from Education Week or not so I have also found a link on a forum where you can read it. I want it in my list of references on this topic. The authors conclude the article with this paragraph that says it all in my mind
Our research informs us that high-stakes testing is hurting students, teachers, and schools. It is putting the nation at risk. By restricting the education of our young people and substituting for it training for performing well on high-stakes examinations, we are turning America into a nation of test-takers abandoning our heritage as a nation of thinkers, dreamers, and doers.
The authors have documented hundreds of examples of the ways in which high-stakes testing corrupts American education in a new book, “Collateral Damage.” Many of the examples in the article are ones that we have all seen. Here are a couple of more quotes:
Because so much depends on how students perform on tests, it should not be surprising that, as one Florida superintendent noted, “When a low-performing child walks into a classroom, instead of being seen as a challenge, or an orpportunity for improvement, for the first time since I’ve been in education, teachers are seeing [that child] as a liability.”
We also documented the narrowing of the curriculum to just what is tested, and found a huge increase in time spent in test preparation instead of genuine instruction.
I wonder when we will ever address how to improve student learning. When will we address the issue of nurturing “life-long learners?” Students should be encouraged to think, discuss, observe and create. Now in schools there is little time for that. High-stakes testing continues to be our biggest obstacle for needed change in education.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:42 am
Hi Anne,
I’ve been following US educator blogs now for a few years and am still astounded by the continued pressure from on high to push kids through these ‘high stakes’ examinations at all costs, even if one of these costs is a battery farm effect on creativity and thinking skills. With no slant at all to the teachers working so hard to make a difference, it does seem that the US education system has something systemically wrong at its core.
I don’t know enough about the system and need to teach myself a heck of a lot before landing on your shores this summer, but I do wonder if the decision-makers and policy drivers are educators, how long ago they were in the classroom and how often they get back into one.
I’d love to know if they have changed their own working habits in the last five years to accommodate the greater knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning that is sitting out there on the web from countries like Australia, NZ and, yes, Scotland.
Finally, I’d love to ask the policy maker what (s)he reads for his or her own professional development *and* for pleasure. This last point is crucial. Any leader I know who doesn’t take time to read or view others’ work and ideas is destined to become a laggard quicker than you can pass a SAT.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Thanks, Anne for the link to this article. I especially liked the line: “The scores we end up praising and condemning in the press and our
legislatures are actually untrustworthy, perhaps even worthless.” Unfortunately, I think they are dangerous as well.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:05 am
I agree that teachers are worried when they see low performers on their class list. What about the sensitive children that worry themselves silly about passing the test so they will get to move to the next grade? I feel so sorry for these kids. Although I was a good student, I could have never survived what they are doing to kids today. I have been a worrier my whole life. Why put this kind of stress on our teachers and our children?
May 28th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
As I’m on Day 4 of 8 days of high-stakes testing, I can certainly relate to everything in this article. Yes too much of our time is spent on this test. Yes it takes ALOT of time away from teaching (3 hours every day for 8 days?!). Yes we spent more money and more time on test preparation than we every should have. Yes the kids are hurt, emotionally, mentally, and physically! I’m documenting our 8 days of testing on my website and so far, so good, but it is UNEXCUSEABLE that anyone would decide to put little third graders through EIGHT days of this!
May 29th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
I agree completely! I teach health, which is much different than other classes where there is high stakes testing, but the pressure to complete my curriculum is intense. It seems that just when we reach some understanding on a topic and we might have a chance to really dig in an explore the topic, it’s time to move on to another subject. What to do? Teach more topics superficially or fewer topics more deeply. As a first year teacher, this is a struggle for me. During high stakes testing it was really hard to keep the kids focused, as they were mentally and emotionally drained from STAR testing. They don’t totally understand it and frankly don’t care. It’s sad.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I agree with the comments above. High-stakes testing is narrowing the curriculum to what can be tested. Instead we need to look at more robust assessment strategies (e.g., portfolio development) so that the curriculum can include 21st century skills and especially learning literacies.
We also need to be honest as a nation about what we want from our schools. Personally, I believe we need to return to a time when schools nurtured the whole child - there was time for recess, drama, exploration, and creativity in the school day.
High stakes testing stresses the children as well as the teachers. I won’t be surprised if we see higher incidence of physical illnesses since stress is linked to health.
Teachers join the professional to help children. They accept less pay because they feel they can make a difference. When policies such as high-stakes testing cause them to harm children, they leave the profession. If things don’t change, there maybe no one left in the schools to teach and what will that do to our “precious scores”?
May 31st, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Intersting to read comments about the tyranny of testing the US. In the UK teachers and schools have faced the pressure of testing ( 7, 11 and 14 year olds) since the late 80s. The tests are for English, maths and science (core subjects).The main impact seems to be the way in which the curriculum is being narrowed and also the way in which schools seem to focus mainly on the tested subjects.
May 31st, 2007 at 5:03 pm
While Lloyd is spot on in describing the English education system, remember that the Scottish system is very different. We have been at pains to reduce testing and don’t have formal testing at such regular intervals. Formative assessment is still seen - rightly - as the key to constructive pedagogies.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:23 am
In the business world, creativity = innovation. Business Week last month had a article discussing how companies with formal innovation processes or reward programs had fewer innovations or patents than companies that did not. Of course, the article is probably biased towards larger companies that have thousands of complacent, risk-averse employees and the resources to build a corporate innovation program. Smaller companies, trying to differentiate, may have a better hand at innovation.
I do see similar parallels between schools and businesses as far as creativity/innovation is concerned.
John