Raising Academic Standards or Stepping Backwards

High stakes testing is a step backwards for education. Tests that determine grade advancement, teacher pay, school funding and accreditation are becoming increasingly popular. Politicians and corporate leaders support these tests in an effort to “reform” public schools. Instead of reform, high stakes tests force schools and teachers to narrow curriculum to “teach to the test” rather than increasing real knowledge. The emphasis on test-oriented education is on memorization of facts. While there is nothing wrong with facts, no real knowledge exists if they can’t be applied to real world problems.

A study done by Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA), a peer-reviewed scholarly journal from Arizona State University, indicates that high stakes tests not only have no benefit to student achievement, but also cause harm to school and student performance. The test was designed to determine whether or not high stakes tests increase transfer of learning, the goal of education. The basis of the study included

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Approximate Word count = 728
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)