School & District Management

Research

August 02, 2000 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In Short

The American Educational Research Association has joined the growing ranks of national groups urging caution in the nationwide movement toward high-stakes student tests.

Representing 23,000 researchers, the Washington-based group rarely takes a stand on controversial issues. But its leaders said they were moved to take action on the testing issue because districts and states are ignoring professional testing standards in their zeal to improve learning.

“In cases where high-stakes testing programs are implemented in the absence of appropriate educational resources or in situations where the tests are flawed in design or interpretation,” a statement from the AERA says, “reliance on misleading or misrepresentative results may cause serious harm.”

Issued last month, the group’s statement draws on 1999 testing guidelines written by the American Psychological Association, the National Council on Measurement in Education, and the AERA.

It outlines 12 conditions that researchers say should govern high-stakes testing. The AERA cautions, for example, against relying solely on test scores to determine whether a student should graduate or move on to the next grade.

And the researchers warn against holding schools, teachers, or students accountable for test results when they may not yet have the resources to meet higher standards. The group says policymakers and test developers should also:

• Avoid using tests for purposes for which they were not intended;

• Fully disclose possible negative consequences of their programs;

• Align the tests with what is taught in schools; and

• Conduct ongoing evaluations of the programs’ impact.

“If you have a 10th grade exit test, and 10th grade performance is going up, up, up, but more students are being stalled indefinitely in 10th grade, you need to have data on that,” said Lorrie A. Shepard, the AERA’s immediate past president. The full text of the statement is available online at www.aera.net/about/policy/stakes.htm.

—Debra Viadero

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the August 02, 2000 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A This City Can Claim a NAEP Distinction No Other City Can. Here's What Happened
While American students saw another decline in 4th grade reading scores on the Nation's Report Card, this city was an exception.
6 min read
Diverse elementary students reading in the classroom
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management What Latino Superintendents Say It Will Take to Grow Their Ranks
Three Latino superintendents talked about the direct and indirect paths to building a pipeline of future district leaders of color.
4 min read
Vector image of many professionals, diversity, highlighting hispanic.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Your School Needs a Teacher-Mentorship Program
We all know how critical the first few years of teaching are. Here's how to set teachers up for success.
Pamela Slifer
4 min read
Mentorship development of young teachers. School leaders make the teaching profession more sustainable by developing a robust mentoring program in their school.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management School Leaders Rush to Manage Deportation Fears
School and district leaders describe a chaotic time amid changes to federal immigration policies.
9 min read
A line of school children with obscured faces board a school bus on their way to school.
E+/Getty