High-Stakes Testing
High-stakes tests are tests used to make important decisions about students. These include whether students should be promoted, allowed to graduate, or admitted to programs. High-stakes assessments are considered a natural outcome of the standards movement in the U.S. The declared purpose of the standards movement is to make students, teachers, and administrators responsible for a high standard of teaching and learning (Heubert, 2000). High-stakes tests are designed to measure whether or not content and performance standards established by the state have been achieved.
- What is "adequate yearly progress" (AYP), and why is it so important?
- What are mainstream, content-based standards?
- What accommodations can be made for testing English language learners?
- Are the tests culturally responsive?
- When and how should students be assessed to determine if they have special needs?
References:
Baca, L., & de Valenzuela, J.S. (1996). Practical and theoretical considerations for assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Burnette, J. (2000). Assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students for special education eligibility (ERIC EC Digest #E604). Arlington, VA: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education.
Cole, M. (n.d.). The illusion of culture-free intelligence testing. Available from the University of California, San Diego, Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition.
Hambleton, R.K., & Rodgers, J.H. (1995). Item bias review. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 4(6).
Heubert, J. P. (2000). High-stakes testing: Opportunities and risks for students of color, English-language learners, and students with disabilities.
Thompson, S., Blount, A, & Thurlow, M. (2002). A summary of research on the effects of test accommodations: 1999 through 2001. Available from the University of Minnesota, National Center of Educational Outcomes.