High-Stakes Testing

Uncategorized 8 Minutes

High Stakes vs. Low Stakes (from the Glossary of Education Reform):

“A ‘low-stakes test’ would be used to measure academic achievement, identify learning problems, or inform instructional adjustments, among other purposes. What distinguishes a high-stakes test from a low-stakes test is not its form (how the test is designed) but its function (how the results are used). For example, if test results are used to determine an important outcome, such as whether a student receives a high school diploma, the test would be considered a high-stakes test regardless of whether it’s a multiple-choice exam, an oral exam, or an essay exam. Low-stakes tests generally carry no significant or public consequences—the results typically matter far more to an individual teacher or student than to anyone else—and scores are not used to burnish or tarnish the reputation of teachers or schools.”

High stakes testing is a very real source of stress and worry for students in my school and throughout the city of Chicago.  I work in a preK-8th grade Catholic school in a very low-income community on the South Side of Chicago where many students receive significant financial aid in order to attend, but where parents still sacrifice a great deal because this option is much stronger – and safer – than many local alternatives.  When students reach the end of their time in our school, they must enter into 1-2 processes which will determine their fate for high school:

  • Catholic HS track: If students would like to be considered for a Catholic high school, they must research all of the Catholic high schools throughout the city and choose ONE that they 1. really like, 2. think they can be accepted to, 3. Could find a way to get to on a daily basis, and 4. think they might hopefully receive enough financial aid to allow them to attend (meaning their scores have to be super high to earn $ OR the school is fairly high need for students, so their tuition is slightly lower). They can only take the high school test at ONE school.  IF they pass, they are – based on the quality of their score – offered some form of financial aid which MIGHT allow them to attend (but might still leave such a huge amount for their families to pay on the table that they are not able to attend).  If they do NOT pass, they must then try to schedule another exam in another Catholic school, but now they are no longer eligible for financial aid unless the school has anything left to offer following the first round of tests (which they most likely don’t).  So, there is a LOT riding on that initial choice of schools and on the student’s performance on that very high-stakes test.
  • Public HS track: If students would like to be considered for a strong public high school in Chicago, they must take the selective enrollment exam to see if they qualify for one of a small number of high quality public high schools in the city. If they do well enough on the exam, then they must find the transportation to get to that school (which might be extremely far away from their home) every day.  If they don’t do well enough to qualify for a high quality high school (and if they did not apply for a Catholic school or did not faire well in THAT process) then they have two remaining options:

o   Hope for acceptance to a strong charter school in the city. Spots are limited, and the matter of transportation can be significant here as well.

OR

o   Attend a low quality public school in the city of Chicago where their education – and their safety – may be compromised daily.

All of this makes 8th grade in Chicago a very stressful time – for students, for families and for elementary schools working to support their soon-to-be graduates.  This is one of the reasons why, unfortunately, my husband and I chose to leave the city just before our son – who has a variety of special needs  – entered kindergarten.  If you are an extremely high-achieving student in Chicago OR you have a strong safety net of financial means / adult support, you can make it in the city. Or, if your family has the resources, you can leave. If you are lacking one/any/all of those resources, your odds of faring well – and moving on to a 4-year college degree and a professional life track – are slim.

Researching the face of high stakes testing throughout the US and elsewhere in the world shows that the Chicago experience is not singular – it is unfortunately part of a larger trend of stress, fear and worry on the part of students, families and schools.  Perhaps nowhere else is this more striking than in the stories I read about South Korea.  An article entitled, “Student Suicides in South Korea” describes it as follows:

“South Korea prides itself in the academic achievement of its young people…The glowing statistics, however, has a dark side: Korea’s youth has one of the highest suicide rates. Suicide, in fact, is the leading cause of death among Koreans aged 15 to 24.”  The article goes on to say that “intense academic pressure can cause serious stress and anxiety. For those who don’t have adequate coping mechanism and social support, it is an easy road to depression and erosion of self-esteem.”  It feels like a student’s entire life (and the honor of their family and their country) rides on the students’ ability to succeed amidst the continuously mounting pressures of school.  It seems that how a student does is determined not simply on their academic strength, but also on their ability to cope with this day-to-day stress, which likely demands that they separate emotionally from their peers, their families and even themselves just to survive.  I agree with the statement in the article that “education should also teach them that their worth is not measured by their grades,” but this is unfortunately very far from reality in South Korea and in more and more places throughout the world.

failing.or.test

Coming off of parent-teacher conferences this past week as a parent myself, I feel the growing concern of how my son currently measures up to the tests he’s taking – especially in math. In addition to the pressure and stress I feel from his teacher, I find a growing sense of internal concern for how each test and his performance in each grade will add up to the opportunities he is afforded the next year and the next, and ultimately what that will mean for him in his life.  I feel torn – yes, I want him to be successful on these tests and in school and thus in life, but I also want to live in a society wherein a child might have differing strengths and skills and still not be forever penalized for not performing well in a certain arena.  So much value is placed on success via testing measures that it feels as if his very worth comes into question, and I deeply fear that over time he will become aware of this landscape coming together around him and that it will impact his self-esteem and his sense of purpose and possibility in life.  I worry that in time he will internalize something negative and limiting from all of this, and he will feel stifled and stymied, even holding himself back further than might be dictated by testing.

Going beyond the experience of high-stakes tests for children and families, there is also the matter of how teachers experience tests.  An NPR article called “The Past, Present and Future of High Stakes Testing,” addresses the fact that teachers have a growing sense of confinement, of needing to “teach to the test.”  This happens because teachers are judged by their principals – and by students’ parents – according to the academic outcomes of their students.  I find this measure of an educator’s strength to be both rightly placed and problematic.  Yes, I want my son’s teacher to feel that she is on the hook for my son’s performance and that of his classmates, but I also want to know that she is working to think creatively and constructively about what our students are leaning and how to teach it better, how to make it more engaging and more applicable to their real lives, not just finding more and more ways to get kids to achieve x,y,z results on a test.  The article goes on to say that, “parents in some communities have formed ‘opt out’ groups and have removed their children not only from federally mandated tests but also the legions of state- and district-required tests that have followed.”  I find myself contemplating this – and yet I fear that this path might ultimately put my child at a disadvantage. Help!

The NPR article then asks: what could be done in place of standardized testing to understand quality and to ensure equity, especially (and so importantly) across socio-economic groups?  They pose four opportunities which I’ve summarized below:

  • Sampling: Utilize the same tests, but fewer of them and not to every student every year.
  • Stealth Assessment: I love the name of this one! Using the data collected in student activities on sites such as Khan Academy and Scholastic.  Not making testing something separate – “stop and test” – but rather analyzing what data we have from existing computer-based student work.
  • Multiple measures: Using things like graduation rates, demographic info, teacher-made assessments
  • Evolving measures:

o   Socio-emotional assessments: Testing qualities like grit, perseverance and curiosity – qualities that have been found to be linked to long-term success.

o   Game-based assessments: Testing things like higher order problem-solving, and the ability to take and apply feedback for change.

o   Performance / Portfolio-based Assessments: direct demonstrations of student ability to apply knowledge in more authentic settings or projects.

  • Inspections: (example from Scotland) Government inspectors observe lessons, and regularly interview students and teachers to better understand and measure the quality to instruction and learning that is happening, which is often assessed with some of the evolving measures listed above.

I love the sense of possibility that comes with even articulating these alternatives.  How beneficial would it be, for instance, to have my son participate in “stealth assessments” over time such that his teachers get real-time input without him getting a growing sense that he is taking – and failing – test after test?  I am also very inspired by the assessments within the “evolving measures” category – these feel more holistic and aligned with the real-life learning that students need and thrive on, and which would ultimately demonstrate applicability to students’ lives outside of school.

I want to have my son participate in school settings where he is indeed striving to achieve at high levels, but where he can be the person that he is, and feel the worth of who he is, believing he can be a whole person regardless of his performance on the tests that will undoubtedly hound him the rest of his life. I feel the challenge of finding a path forward as an educator and as a parent.

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