The purpose of testing students has long been debated among educational policy and educational psychology experts, and there has been a litany of research disseminated on the subject. This latest paper from the Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona State University (authored by Sharon L. Nichols and David C. Berliner) explores the problematic nature of high-stakes testing in detail throughout its 187-pages. Sponsored by a grant from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice, the executive summary of this well-written report begins with the assertion that "this study finds that the over-reliance on high-stakes testing has serious negative repercussions that are present at every level of the public school system." The report itself contains a number of helpful chapters on its methodology, the corruption of indicators, the incidences of student cheating, and the misrepresentation of student data. Overall, this report is one that is well worth reading in detail, particularly for educational policy researchers and those directly involved in school administration and governance.
Comments