High Stakes Assessments
High Stakes Assessments
A high-stakes test is a test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or district’s for the purpose of accountability to ensure that students are being taught by effective teachers. Test scores can help school districts determine sanctions, penalties, funding reductions, negative publicity, awards, public celebration, positive publicity, grade promotion, graduation for students, salary increases, or bonuses for administration and teachers. High Stakes assessments are considered “High stakes” because they can determine whether a student advances to the next grade level or graduates. In California when I was in high school, and still currently in effect, it is mandatory for all high school students to pass a statewide government exam in order to graduate.
I currently teach K5 Special Education at Tolenas Elementary in California. This school has statewide assessments that evaluate students based off test scores. The school year begins in August, and student’s are tested initially in September, again in February, and lastly in March using MAP statewide testing. Each student has a goal range they are required to achieve scores in that deem them acceptable. If a student does not score in that goal range, teachers as well as the school, may have repercussions since they have a responsibility to prepare students to achieve high test scores. Because my students are special education students, they have a goal range their scores should meet, but if they do not meet that scores it is not as big as a deal because they have IEP'S with their own goals to meet. Recently I had to administer the MAP testing, and not all of my students completed testing due to behaviors getting in the way.
We as teachers at Tolenas take testing seriously. We are given assistance with lesson planning throughout the year, to help prepare students for state testing. We are offered incentives from the principal, school, and school district in regards to having high test scores. Some incentives include winning a class pizza party for having top 5 high test scores. This not only motivates the students to earn a high score, but motivates the teacher as well to get positive recognition. Some other state testing at my school include ELPAC testing. This is a statewide assessment in California testing Spanish speaking students on school material as well as reading. I do not have any ELA (English Language learners) in my classroom, so my students do not participate. This testing is done twice a year. Tolenas Elementary also has RQC (Reading Quick Check) Assessments. This is an assessment done every two weeks to check the progress on students reading levels. Currently at this point in the school year, students should be at reading level Q. Once again , my special education students will test, but it is not imperative for them to score high scores, as each student has his or her own IEP to follow.
Below is a diagram of Tolenas Elementary test score average, and statewide performance:
When analyzing the implications of high stakes assessments on students, the outcomes will range. In elementary school, for example at the school I am at, students are motivated to succeed in these assessments. The school works together to make sure students eat properly. Granola bars will be provided to students during the testing period to ensure students have “brain food”. Student’s are also motivated at this grade level due to incentives being discussed such as pizza parties for the highest scoring classrooms. The effects of high stake assessments on teachers can also vary. I personally have seen news telecasts of teachers in school districts doing Ludacris things such as taking exams for students to receive high test scores just so that the teacher can receive a bonus, or even a news story of a high school teacher bribing students to achieve high test scores. To me this is unethical. In the school I am at, I can say personally I get a little anxious around test time just because I am always anxious for tests even if my students do not need to score high. The different teacher perceptions of how high stakes impact teaching vary. Just last week in my staff room I heard gen-ed teachers complaining about statewide testing because they don’t receive enough time to complete the testing. Sometimes students are absent from school, as well as not all technology will cooperate such as Chromebooks malfunctioning. One teacher even stated she had to retest her students because the scores did not take.
In Ohio, statewide assessments differ from statewide assessments in California. According to The Morning Journal, “ a new mandated testing regimen has school officials concerned that the tests may be too much for students to handle”. In Ohio, there are high-stakes assessments in reading, English, language arts, math social studies, and science tests. This varies from the statewide assessments at my elementary school in California, because my K5 Special education classes only test in ELA and Math. Ohio also differs on high stake assessments in that Ohio starts school around assessments dates. According to The Morning Journal, Tom Tucker, the superintendent of Lorain City Schools explains that: “Our calendars are set around the new testing schedule. A lot of districts including us started school a week early to accommodate the tests”.
In elementary school, students are expected to be within goal range to on the statewide assessments. If students are not within goal range, they may be in danger of being retained in that grade level. At my school, and me personally, I get evaluated informally weekly as well as formally once a month. Since I teach special education and follow IEP'S, statewide test scores are not used for teacher evaluations.
References:
Partnership, G. S. (2014, August 18). High-Stakes Test Definition. Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/
Tolenas Elementary. (2017, September 27). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1336001530/school.aspx
Scofield, D. (2014, October 23). Officials worry state assessments put too much pressure on students. Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://www.morningjournal.com/article/mj/20141023/NEWS/141029821
A high-stakes test is a test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or district’s for the purpose of accountability to ensure that students are being taught by effective teachers. Test scores can help school districts determine sanctions, penalties, funding reductions, negative publicity, awards, public celebration, positive publicity, grade promotion, graduation for students, salary increases, or bonuses for administration and teachers. High Stakes assessments are considered “High stakes” because they can determine whether a student advances to the next grade level or graduates. In California when I was in high school, and still currently in effect, it is mandatory for all high school students to pass a statewide government exam in order to graduate.
I currently teach K5 Special Education at Tolenas Elementary in California. This school has statewide assessments that evaluate students based off test scores. The school year begins in August, and student’s are tested initially in September, again in February, and lastly in March using MAP statewide testing. Each student has a goal range they are required to achieve scores in that deem them acceptable. If a student does not score in that goal range, teachers as well as the school, may have repercussions since they have a responsibility to prepare students to achieve high test scores. Because my students are special education students, they have a goal range their scores should meet, but if they do not meet that scores it is not as big as a deal because they have IEP'S with their own goals to meet. Recently I had to administer the MAP testing, and not all of my students completed testing due to behaviors getting in the way.
We as teachers at Tolenas take testing seriously. We are given assistance with lesson planning throughout the year, to help prepare students for state testing. We are offered incentives from the principal, school, and school district in regards to having high test scores. Some incentives include winning a class pizza party for having top 5 high test scores. This not only motivates the students to earn a high score, but motivates the teacher as well to get positive recognition. Some other state testing at my school include ELPAC testing. This is a statewide assessment in California testing Spanish speaking students on school material as well as reading. I do not have any ELA (English Language learners) in my classroom, so my students do not participate. This testing is done twice a year. Tolenas Elementary also has RQC (Reading Quick Check) Assessments. This is an assessment done every two weeks to check the progress on students reading levels. Currently at this point in the school year, students should be at reading level Q. Once again , my special education students will test, but it is not imperative for them to score high scores, as each student has his or her own IEP to follow.
Below is a diagram of Tolenas Elementary test score average, and statewide performance:
When analyzing the implications of high stakes assessments on students, the outcomes will range. In elementary school, for example at the school I am at, students are motivated to succeed in these assessments. The school works together to make sure students eat properly. Granola bars will be provided to students during the testing period to ensure students have “brain food”. Student’s are also motivated at this grade level due to incentives being discussed such as pizza parties for the highest scoring classrooms. The effects of high stake assessments on teachers can also vary. I personally have seen news telecasts of teachers in school districts doing Ludacris things such as taking exams for students to receive high test scores just so that the teacher can receive a bonus, or even a news story of a high school teacher bribing students to achieve high test scores. To me this is unethical. In the school I am at, I can say personally I get a little anxious around test time just because I am always anxious for tests even if my students do not need to score high. The different teacher perceptions of how high stakes impact teaching vary. Just last week in my staff room I heard gen-ed teachers complaining about statewide testing because they don’t receive enough time to complete the testing. Sometimes students are absent from school, as well as not all technology will cooperate such as Chromebooks malfunctioning. One teacher even stated she had to retest her students because the scores did not take.
In Ohio, statewide assessments differ from statewide assessments in California. According to The Morning Journal, “ a new mandated testing regimen has school officials concerned that the tests may be too much for students to handle”. In Ohio, there are high-stakes assessments in reading, English, language arts, math social studies, and science tests. This varies from the statewide assessments at my elementary school in California, because my K5 Special education classes only test in ELA and Math. Ohio also differs on high stake assessments in that Ohio starts school around assessments dates. According to The Morning Journal, Tom Tucker, the superintendent of Lorain City Schools explains that: “Our calendars are set around the new testing schedule. A lot of districts including us started school a week early to accommodate the tests”.
In elementary school, students are expected to be within goal range to on the statewide assessments. If students are not within goal range, they may be in danger of being retained in that grade level. At my school, and me personally, I get evaluated informally weekly as well as formally once a month. Since I teach special education and follow IEP'S, statewide test scores are not used for teacher evaluations.
References:
Partnership, G. S. (2014, August 18). High-Stakes Test Definition. Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/
Tolenas Elementary. (2017, September 27). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1336001530/school.aspx
Scofield, D. (2014, October 23). Officials worry state assessments put too much pressure on students. Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://www.morningjournal.com/article/mj/20141023/NEWS/141029821
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