September/October 2000
Are High-Stakes Tests Worth the Wager?
By Michael Sadowski
Despite reports of improved standardized test scores, education researchers and school personnel are far from reaching a consensus about whether testing students for high-stakes outcomes such as graduation and promotion actually improves learning. While such testing programs are popular with the general public, many researchers are cautioning that some key questions are not being asked in the current rush toward high-stakes testing. Dropout and retention statistics for students in these programs, the effects of the tests on curriculum, and the consequences for students whose first language is not English are just some of the issues that need to be examined. Assistant Editor Michael Sadowski explores the pros and cons of high-stakes testing, and reports on two of the most extensively studied accountability programs, those in Texas and Chicago.
Buy this issue.
What the AERA Says About High-Stakes Testing
In an effort to provide research-based guidelines to policymakers, test publishers, and school personnel, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) has issued a position statement on the use of high-stakes testing in pre-K-12 education. According to AERA, this statement presents "a set of conditions essential to sound implementation of high-stakes testing programs."
Buy this issue.
We Need a Better Understanding of Inquiry in Instruction
by Frank X. Sutman
Many national and state science education instructional documents propose inquiry as a standard for learning without saying what it really means. While instructional materials can update content and involve students in more hands-on experiences, they do not necessarily foster opportunities for students to practice inquiry in instruction when it is defined simply as the single process of students asking relevant questions about issues to which they do not possess predetermined answers. This article discusses findings from recent studies by the author that can help provide a better understanding of students' practice of inquiry and discovery.
Buy this issue.
|
