High Stakes Testing Essay - 1205 Words

High Stakes Testing Albert Einstein once stated, â€Å"not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.† High-stakes testing attempts to determine the knowledge a person has obtained throughout grades K-12. These standardized tests are being used to judge a person’s ability to graduate from high school and also judge if a child has enough knowledge to proceed to the next grade level. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how these tests do not accurately portray one’s intelligence, how they have increased drop out rates, and also show the damaging psychological affects they have had. High stakes testing does not accurately determine a student’s intelligence. In 1999, the National†¦show more content†¦This study also stated that, â€Å"every standardized test has a certain â€Å"error of measurement† which means that a given score could actually be off by several points in either direction. High stakes, however, have single scores as the cut-off point. Those scores do not account for the inaccuracies that all test publishers acknowledge†(azstandards). There have been many studies in which students take the same test on different days, and their score varies greatly. High stakes testing does not give any consideration to these errors. High stakes testing increases drop out rates. Texas adopted a test much like the AIMS in the 1990-91 school year. TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) testing has produced a very astounding number of minority dropouts. The Arizona Standards study states that there has been a 30% increase in dropouts among Hispanic and African-American students (azstandards). Walt Haney, who wrote an article on the effects of the TAAS test, claims that, â€Å"a convergence of evidence indicates that during the 1990s, slightly less than 70% of students in Texas actually graduated from high school†(http://www.epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41). The Alliance for Childhood organization discussed how, â€Å"there is growing evidence that the pressure and anxiety associated with high-stakes testing is unhealthy for children...and may undermine the development of positive social relationships and attitudes towards school andShow MoreRelatedBenefits And Backlashes Of High Stakes Testing890 Words    |  4 PagesThe Benefits and Backlashes of High-Stakes Testing What if the determining factor of whether or not you would be successful or a failure in life was solely based on the results of one test. Regardless of all the progress you have accomplished over your life, it all comes down to this big moment, the big test! That is the reality many students face annually due to high-stakes testing. 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