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What is High-Stakes Testing?
The term, “high-stakes testing” refers to testing
students and tying the test results to major—“high-stakes”—punitive
consequences for schools and students. Examples of high stakes
consequences for test results include: using a test to decide
if a student will repeat a grade, using a test to decide if
a student graduates, and using a test to decide if a school
should be taken over by the district or state.
Many people believe that high-stakes testing hurts education.
For information on common concerns about high-stakes testing,
visit the FairTest
website.
High-Stakes Testing and Racism
The origins of standardized testing in the United States is
closely tied to the eugenics movement which was shaped by
the belief that intelligence varies according to racial and
ethnic group. Testing was intentionally used to prove a connection
between intelligence and race and to then sort students of
color into nonacademic settings. (For an article that summarizes
this history, click
here to download PDF).
Today, a stated intention of high-stakes testing is to close
the achievement gap between students of color and white students.
Unfortunately, high-stakes testing often continues to result
in sorting students of color into lower quality educational
settings or pushing them out of school altogether.
The REAL Education perspective on high-stakes testing
High-stakes testing changes teaching and learning. Because
school staff are so afraid of the punishments that might come
from poor test results, everything they do focuses on achieving
certain levels of test results as quickly as possible. This
especially happens in schools and districts where there are
mainly low-income students of color. More affluent schools
with more white students are often protected from some of
the most damaging changes in teaching that come from high-stakes
testing.
 High-stakes
testing makes it difficult to offer REAL Education for Minds
& Souls. Teachers and principals feel so much pressure
to focus on getting test scores up, that they cut out learning
that is relevant to students’ cultures and communities.
They cut out learning that builds on languages other than
English, because the tests are in English. They cut out learning
that helps students think critically about social justice
issues and what they can do to build a more just world. There
is not time for arts or sports, and often not time for social
studies or science because math and reading are the main subjects
that are tested. The tests are usually in a multiple choice
format, so learning does not involve activities that do not
prepare students for this format—schools cut out activities
such as having discussions, writing, working on projects,
or exploring issues in depth. Finally, schools cut out time
to build a school community and caring relationships.
Some people who oppose high-stakes testing are generally
against efforts to hold the school system responsible for
how it educates students. While Justice Matters is critical
of the impact of high-stakes testing, we very much support
efforts to increase responsibility for our schools. We want
REAL responsibility, where everyone who has a role in education
genuinely feels responsible and holds each other responsible
for providing REAL learning for low-income students of color.
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