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Home > About CES > Testing Statement > About Action Kit
Take a Stand Against High-Stakes Standardized Tests
Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court decision on Brown vs. the Board of Education placed equity at the core of America's public education system. In 2004, our schools are still struggling to meet that standard and to provide the same educational support and opportunities to every school and student. The recent effort to create systems that would identify and eliminate substandard schools is not working. This is due in large part to their reliance on high-stakes standardized tests, which rely on data from assessments that are too narrow. It is the academic equivalent of making every student complete a decathlon and a triathlon, then saying those who fair poorly are not athletes.
"High-stakes" standardized tests are those which can prohibit students from graduating or advancing to the next grade if they don't pass. Data from these tests is also used to determine school performance, and can mean lost funding, resources, and even students. Consequently, they are having widespread impact on curricula across the country. We are building an education system around a partially meaningful standard, which is far more than high stakes.
Schools, teachers, and students can and should be held accountable for their performance as educators and learners. High-stakes challenges that demonstrate learning and growth are essential to student success; however, these challenges should come in the form of educationally sound, locally controlled assessments, not bureaucratically-administered standardized tests. Well-designed exhibitions, portfolios, and other such high-stakes assessments are broad and deep, requiring students to develop and use a wide range of skills to publicly demonstrate mastery of an entire curriculum. They reflect progress and competence gained through years of schooling, not months of cramming and "test-prep" activities.
If equity is at the core of what we are trying to achieve at American schools, these one-size-fits all tests are not the answer. Just as no two students and no two schools are alike, no two demonstrations of mastery that determine educational advancement ought to be alike. Rather, standards for achievement should be determined at the community level, based on national curriculum standards such as the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Standards like these ensure that students are on the same page across the country, but allow for specific curriculum and assessment to be adapted to local contexts, creating learning and assessment that support each other and are meaningful to students.
One of the biggest obstacles to creating equity, particularly when it comes to testing, is the distribution of resources. Clearly, physical and academic resources are distributed disproportionately among our schools. Students forced to learn under conditions they cannot control, such as run-down buildings, unskilled teachers, and large class sizes are measured and scored by the same outside authorities measuring students in the best schools in the country on these high-stakes tests. To use another sports analogy, comparing test scores between these types of schools is like comparing times in the 100 meter dash to the 100 meter hurdles.
High-stakes tests can also derail good teaching. Studies have found that teachers are increasingly changing their pedagogy specifically to "teach to the test," rather than teaching in ways that promote active engagement and critical thinking. The pressure of high-stakes standardized tests narrows, distorts, and weakens curriculum. Teachers abandon rich, individually challenging curriculum for impersonal and tedious test preparation. The result is an increasing disconnect between the classroom and the skills needed for a successful adulthood.
Tens of thousands of students, especially low-income, special education, children of color, and children whose first language is not English, drop out of school every year in response to the barrier imposed by high-stakes standardized tests. It's a terrible lost opportunity for them and for the American economy and social fabric. It is time for communities to advocate for a change in these assessments, and to become involved in setting standards that are high, but that give every student an equal chance to achieve.
How do I use it? Copy and paste the above template into a new, blank word processing document. Modify the template to represent you and your local school(s) with any relevant information or issues that relate to high-stakes testing in your area. Then disseminate your op-ed to local, state and national new papers.
Page last updated: July 07, 2004
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