High Stakes Testing

This week I listened to another podcast from Voice of Literacy.  The podcast was centered around high stakes testing and the negatives that goes along with it.  The guest was Dr. Caitlin Dooley, a professor at Georgia State University.  She primarily performs studies on teachers beliefs on literacy instruction in the time of high stakes testing.  This is a hot topic today in the education world.  Everything is based on the standardized test. 

In the article Dr. Dooley even mentions teachers pay and job security is based on the standardized test.  These standardized test not only determine students individual future but also other major decisions.  The scores directly effect the teachers and on a larger scale the school districts funding.  I think its ridiculous that funding is determined by test scores.  This could be a key component into why low income school tend to score low.  If those schools don't have resources how do we expect them to succeed. 

In her recent study she worked in two contexts, an urban school historically low scores and a suburban school with historically high scores.  She worked with a group that was struggling at both schools.  She realized that the more the school and teachers emphasized test scores and solely focused on them the scores dropped.  I don't think this is a coincidence. 

No Child Left Behind was created to help low income areas and struggling students.  Dr. Dooley believes that it does the exact opposite.  She believes soon when reauthorization is allowed to NCLB that it needs to happen.  The scores indicate that our success is bout where it was in the early 80's.  If this program is not advancing these students it shouldn't be done.  NCLB has created a larger gap between the test takers.  I think that we need to have tests but only have them be one tool to judge a student.  If we can't create fair opportunities for all students then something needs to happen that allows that.  NCLB is a great idea but it needs to be tweaked along with the testing system.  I think with some work both can be great and benefit not only students but teachers.  I look forward to taking on challenges like this in the future as a classroom teacher.