Chapter 18 Assessment Issues in Education Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

High-Stakes Testing Academic achievement tests that are used to make important decisions about the evaluation of K-12 students. These decisions include promotion/retention and graduation. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) Stronger accountability for results Increased flexibility and local control Expanded options for parents Emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Concerns about NCLB Teachers feel pressured or coerced to get their students to achieve at higher levels on tests in order to receive merit pay or promotion. The curriculum is often narrowed as teachers prepare students for high-stakes tests. Test content and skills tend to be taught to the exclusion of non-tested content. Teachers who put effort into their jobs but are not rewarded because of students’ test scores may become embittered. High-stakes testing is biased against urban, rural, and poor schools that have large populations of low-socioeconomic, minority, or disadvantaged students who are typically at risk of obtaining lower test scores. Low-socioeconomic schools that do not perform as well on the high-stakes test may be denied the resources and finances they so desperately need to improve student learning. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

AERA (2001) states the following in a position paper: High-stakes decisions should not be based on a single test. All students should have adequate resources and opportunity to learn. Each separate use of the test must be validated. Full disclosure of negative consequences needs to be considered. Alignment between the test and the curriculum should be documented. Validity of the passing score must be demonstrated. Appropriate attention to language differences among examinees must be considered. Appropriate attention to students with disabilities must be evaluated. Careful attention to explicit rules for determining which individuals are going to be tested. Sufficient reliability for each intended use must be documented. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Tests Used in Schools School aptitude tests Multifactor aptitude tests Career guidance tests Needs assessments Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.