Refusing the Test: Debating Assessment and Accountability in Public Education

Through widespread “opt-out” efforts over the past several years, parent and student activists have pressured schools, districts, states, and the federal government to reconsider the extent and limits of state-mandated assessments. This case study focuses on the ethical questions faced by a principal in a school divided over state standardized testing. Facing a new wave of refusals, this leader must respond to parents and teachers who have concerns about testing, as well as other members of her community who support these assessments. This case considers how a school leader might balance different, competing obligations: to respect parents’ rights, acknowledge teachers’ concerns, support student learning, and implement district and state policy.

Elementary School Size and Differences in Student Progress by Gender: A Texas, Multiyear Statewide Analysis

In this investigation, the degree to which student enrollment (i.e., school size) at elementary schools was related to student progress on the State of Texas reading and mathematics state-mandated assessments was examined for boys and for girls. Archival data available on the Texas Academic Performance Report were analyzed for the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 school years. Inferential analyses revealed the presence of statistically significant differences, with below small to small effect sizes. Large-size schools had statistically significantly higher progress rates in reading than Small-size schools for boys and for girls. Large-size schools also had statistically significantly higher progress rates in mathematics for boys than Small-size schools. Results for progress rates in mathematics for girls was varied. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are provided.

Gender Differences in the Reading Performance of Texas Grade 3 English Language Learners: A Multiyear, Statewide Investigation

Analyzed in this investigation were the current Texas state-mandated assessments in reading and the extent to which test scores differed between English Language Learner boys and English Language Learner girls. Data were obtained on the reading performance of all Grade 3 English Language Learner boys and girls for three school years. Inferential statistical analyses revealed that English Language Learner girls had statistically significantly better reading performance than English Language Learner boys in all three school years. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are provided.

What’s the purpose? Educators’ perceptions and use of a state-mandated kindergarten entry assessment

Educator’s perceptions and use of a state-mandated kindergarten entry assessment (KEA), the Alaska Developmental Profile (ADP), were investigated using a mixed-methods approach with 233 educators representing 23 districts in the state of Alaska. Educators reported inconsistencies in the administration, implementation, perceptions, and use of the ADP. These inconsistencies were connected to an unclear understanding of the purpose for the ADP, a finding that most likely reflects the compliance model of those administering state-mandated assessments instead of educators seeing these tools as useful for instructional decision-making. Results suggest policy makers should strive to ensure all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the purpose for a state-mandated KEA and that systems are in place to ensure reliability and validity of the data. Teachers are urged to become familiar in using formative, observation-based assessment approaches and consider how data gathered from a KEA can provide meaningful information for instructional planning. Administrators are encouraged to provide the professional development and support needed to engage in data-driven decision making. And finally, researchers are reminded of their role in helping conduct research that examines the processes and impact of state-mandated assessments.

Does one test fit all? the effects of state-mandated assessments on students with special needs

This mixed methods study examined the effects of requiring students with special needs to take the same assessment as their same-aged peers. A significant difference in student performance on End-of-Course (EOC) exams was found at the state and local level when comparing students with special needs to students without special needs. Students with special needs expressed concerns with not performing well on EOCs, fear of not knowing or remembering concepts assessed, and not being smart enough to go on to college. Student self-esteem, classroom modifications, and assessment procedures of students with special needs were concerning to special educators. By acknowledging that each student performs at different levels, assessing students according to each student's level of performance, and allowing students to experience success, the educational system will be leaving no child behind.

The Ethical Teacher in a High-Stakes Testing Environment

Increasing accountability expectations are causing teachers to rectify their responsibilities, to themselves, to their students and to the school administrations in which they work. Teachers have been torn between the responsibility to provide a quality education that reflects their knowledge and their training in their content area and to prepare their students for mandated assessments. State and District mandated assessments can have an impact on the delivery and the content of the curriculum in the classroom. These assessments can be the impetus for teachers to make specific decisions regarding the focus of their instruction and the delivery of their content. Teachers often feel obligated to emphasize the testing information at the expense of the specific curricula content. This adjustment in their curriculum can create an ethical dilemma for the teacher with regard to the emphasis of their instruction and the delivery of their instruction.Discussed in the manuscript are the perceptions of two teachers regarding curriculum planning and the implementation of the curriculum. The relationship between teacher perception, ethical concepts and the implementation of instruction in the high stakes testing environment were explored in the study. The results of the study indicated that the teachers in the study felt obligated to provide a quality education for their students. However, the results also indicated that the pressures of the mandated assessment did have an effect on the delivery and preparation of their instruction. This decision to compromise created an ethical dilemma for the teachers in the study.

What is a reading error?

ABSTRACTEarly efforts to apply knowledge of dialect differences to reading stressed the importance of the distinction between differences in pronunciation and mistakes in reading. This study develops a method of estimating the probability that a given oral reading that deviates from the text is a true reading error by observing the semantic impact of the given pronunciation on the child's reading of the text that immediately follows. A diagnostic oral reading test was administered to 627 children who scored in the 33rd percentile range and below on state-mandated assessments in reading in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, Georgia, and California elementary schools. Subjects were African American, European American, and Latino, including Latinos who learned to read in Spanish and in English first. For 12 types of dialect-related deviations from the text that were studied, the error rates in reading the following text were calculated for correct readings, incorrect readings, and potential errors. For African Americans, many of these potential errors behaved like correct readings. The opposite pattern was found for Latinos who learned to read in Spanish first: most types of potential errors showed the high percentage of following errors that is characteristic of true errors.