Failure of High Stakes Tests - researchers analyze NAEP data

From educational justice leader and Professor of Education
at Sacramento State University Duane Cambell's blog
Choosing Democracy
"THE BIGGEST NEWS YOU DIDN'T HEAR LAST WEEK
After analyzing National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test data from 25 states, three prominent education researchers have determined that there is no consistent link between the pressure to score high on a state-mandated exam and that state's student performance on the NAEP.
Sharon L. Nichols, the study's lead author, concluded:
"A rapidly growing body of research evidence on the harmful effects of high-stakes testing,along with no reliable evidence of improved performance by students onNAEP tests of achievement, suggests that we need a moratorium in public education on the use of high-stakes testing."
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"David C. Berliner and Gene V. Glass of Arizona State University and Sharon L. Nichols of the University of Texas at San Antonio — who analyzed National Assessment of Educational Progress test data from 25 states and determined:
There is no consistent link between the pressure to score high on a state-mandated exam and that state's student performance on the NAEP.
The pressure created by the standardized-test-as-God formula has primarily served to increase student retention and dropout rates. "

www.choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com

Prof. Berliner gave an excellent presentation at the National School Board Association's Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) conference on Sunday [10/2/05]. Citing Jonathon Kozol's new book Shame of the Nation and other sources, Berliner pointed out the racism and classism of our educational system in the U.S. as compared to all other industrialized countries of the world.

• "Our child poverty rate of 18 percent is the highest in the industrialized world," Berliner pointed out. "It's hard to teach poor kids. From birth to age 17, of a child's waking hours, 15 percent of the time is in school. That means 85 percent is with family and in neighborhoods. If those families are not strong and those neighborhoods are not healthy we lose the battle to get the kids to come in the door ready to be educated. If we want to improve our schools we might want to look at reducing poverty."

For more on Berliner's views:
Our impoverished view of educational reform

Berliner also stressed the relationship with children's poverty levels and socio-economic status with high stakes test scores.
One San Francisco parent K.C. Jones who runs a great blog www.sfschools.org calls our state's measuring rod for a school's performance or API Academic Performance Index the "affluent parent index". In agreement are the California Teachers Association, CALCARE and many parents that have taken the time to look more closely at how standardized test scores are being used by the education officials in D.C. and in Sacramento.
For KC Jones' analysis from www.BeyondChron.com and more info:
KC's analysis
CALCARE is CA's statewide coalition against high stakes testing:
http://www.calcare.org/oldsite/arguments/api.htm
Susan Ohanian on the Affluent Parent Index:
http://www.susanohanian.org/atrocity_fetch.php?id=3155

In 2001 CTA - the CA Teachers Assn - released the results of an exhaustive study comparing various indicators of the lowest- and the highest-ranking schools under the state's Academic Performance Index (API).
Info on CTA study