High Stakes Testing Supovitz Can High Stakes Testing

High Stakes Testing

Supovitz Can High Stakes Testing Leverage Educational Improvement • Review of theoretical framework • Four major theories • • Motivational (213) Theory of alignment (213) (also with internal accountability systems-214) Informational theory (213) (it provides data – 214/215) Symbolism (214) (public answerability – 215) • Previous assessment initiatives • Portfolios, open ended tasks, performance tasks • Conclusions: • Testing is a policy instrument used to leverage change in districts schools and classrooms (212) • Testing motivates changes to instructional practices and alignment (212) • But the changes are superficial (212) • Data is better suited for school and system-level uses, not for curriculum (212)

Supovitz Can High Stakes Testing Leverage Educational Improvement • Move from measuring educational inputs to tracking outputs (test scores— 215)—are both actually happening? (school funding formulas + testing) • Has anyone tried the ‘alternative forms of assessment? (216) • (219) Short cycle formative assessments are better—quizzes? • Value-added (220)—largely unsubstantiated, lots of problems with statistics • (221): the alignment theory is producing a more coherent education system—true? • (222) “Reform itself has become confused with the instrument used to measure it. ”

Koyama Making Failure Matter • A story of bureaucratic SNAFU • Did the whole situation, in the end, benefit the school? • Was the Principal complicit?

Diamond and Spillane High Stakes Accountability in Urban Elementary Schools • A qualitative approach trying to get at the details of perceptions of the policies and implementation • Argues that different types of schools will implement policy differently and therefore have distinct effects on various groups of students • Questions: • 1. How is testing policy perceived and implemented in different schools • 2. Will it reduce social stratification? • Context: Chicago • Testing has sanctions for teachers, schools and students • A much richer exploration of accountability testing and its consequences

Diamond and Spillane High Stakes Accountability in Urban Elementary Schools • Testing was on school leaders’ minds • Testing prep-everywhere, but different levels • Testing affected priorities in the classroom • Less attention to science • Achieved some of the goals of the policy? • Affected curriculum decisions • Different responses • High-performing schools sought to improve & used test results as incentive and measures of progress • Low-performing schools sought to avoid further sanctions, so operated out of fear

Diamond and Spillane High Stakes Accountability in Urban Elementary Schools • Principals used the external ‘threat’ of testing in their leadership practice • It puts a ‘stick’ in their toolbox of leadership levers • Emphasis on threats is a low-brow way to lead • Need to impress eternal partners (probation schools only) • Highlights shortfalls of some of the principals (p. 1159 ‘coherence’) • Leading out of fear • Reliance on sticks • Incoherent arrays of programs (busy, but not effective) • High performing leaders used higher-level, positive approaches • Reinforced pride and encouraged continued improvement • Praise for past performance • Need for constant improvement

Diamond and Spillane High Stakes Accountability in Urban Elementary Schools • Use of testing data potentially marginalizes low-performing students and increases gate keeping (1170) • (1170) Struggling schools use test scores to assess overall school and grade level outcomes, but not instructional decisions • (1172) Questions the ability of accountability policies to reduce educational inequality—not the purpose of testing • (1172) States the need for additional resources for struggling schools • ? Are the different schools’ reactions to testing just a reflection of good and poor principals?

Other thoughts • Performance linked to family background (Diamond & Spillane) • What about the reliability and validity of the tests (Diamond & Spillane) • Proposed policy goals (Diamond and Spillane): • Increase student motivation • Create teacher incentives • Better student info • More ‘academic press’ ****This was all quoted from research conducted prior to NCLB • Academic alignment with tests (p. 1161): a monitoring system connecting daily lesson plans with material tested • Good strong leadership (p. 1161/1162) Dr. Williams speech

Other thoughts • The context is critical, but the context is much more complex than low-performing vs. high. • • Principal leadership styles and experience External factors Resources Political support

Conclusion • A good sequence of articles • Theory • 2 practical issues • 2 Cautions • Koyama might have overplayed a single SNAFU • Diamond and Spillane published in 2004—for a federal program, 2 -3 years is a relatively short time to implement and then evaluate its effectiveness

Conclusion • What is a more appropriate way to move forward? • How do we adjust curriculum or pedagogy based on what tests are telling us? • Teachers need complementary and shorter-term measures to hone in on learning problems (Supovitz, p. 223) • A more comprehensive system of assessment (Supovitz, p. 223) • Hints at a technological approach (Supovitz, p. 223)

Conclusion • Alternate look at assessment • ‘High-Tech’ approach • • Remote biometrics Remote heat sensing Other biological responses to learning/confusion/anxiety ‘Big Data’ analytics software (Apache &Hadoop—IBM, SAP, HP, MS, Oracle, Amazon), to integrate the data and provide a system of feedback to the teacher to react in real-time; collate the data and provide digestible reports to the principal for use in teacher development and school and district level reports for use by the school board.

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