High Stakes Testing

A collection of position statements and policy briefs from various national organizations

Even as politicians and other non-educators continue to tout the "cure-all" benefits of high stakes testing, others are pointing out the potentially corrosive effects of the emphasis on testing on our nation's educational system. We compile a sampling of position statements released by national educational organizations, ranging from organizations primarily concerned with mathematics education to more general organizations to organizations representing other disciplines. Despite the different viewpoints and interests of these groups, common threads can be easily identified.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:
Position Statement on High-Stakes Testing
(http://www.nctm.org/about/position_statements/highstakes.htm)

American Educational Research Association:
Position Statement Concerning High-Stakes Testing in PreK-12 Education
(http://www.aera.net/policyandprograms/?id=378)

National Research Council
High Stakes: Testing for Tracking, Promotion, and Graduation (Executive Summary)
(http://bob.nap.edu/html/highstakes/#summary)

National Council of Teachers of English
On Testing and Equitable Treatment of Students
(http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/assess/107359.htm)

International Reading Association
High-Stakes Assessments in Reading
(http://www.reading.org/positions/high_stakes.html)

National Council for the Social Studies
Promoting Fair and Equitable Assessments
(http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/assessment/)

Finally, we offer a two-part article from the New York Times discussing the testing industry:

• Right Answer, Wrong Score: Test Flaws Take Toll (May 20, 2023)
  (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/business/20EXAM.html)
• When a Test Fails the Schools, Careers and Reputations Suffer (May 21, 2023)
  (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/21/business/21EXAM.html)
  

Compiled from various sources.