October 9, 2001Berry College Defining Quality in Education Taking a Stand Against High-Stakes Testing.

October 9, 2001 Berry College

Defining Quality in Education

Taking a Stand

Against High-Stakes

Testing

October 9, 2001Berry College

Defining Quality in EducationShall we remain silent

in the presence of injustice?



Injustice: Primary-

aged students

take high-stakes tests

without knowing

what is at stake.



Injustice: Competency in reading, writing, and

math is construed

as an “education”

.



Injustice: Standardized testing lowers

levels of learning in

our schools.



Injustice: One-size-fits-all-at-

one-point-in-time

mentality rules

American education.



Injustice: Standardiz

ed test scores

correlate reliably

with socio-economic

status.



Injustice: Students are judged and

sentenced by high-stakes tests when longitudinal,

authentic assessments are readily available.


Defining Quality in EducationInjustice:

Teachers and schools are

“held accountable”

for circumstances beyond their

control.



Injustice: Speed and retrieval of

“facts” (superficial

engagement) are valued

above mental processes and

critical thinking.



Injustice: The world’s

leader in liberty, justice,

economics, science, power,

technology, medicine, foreign

aid, and education

condemns its teachers and

schools as failures.


Defining Quality in EducationInjustice: Between

kindergarten and 12th grade at

least 100 days are committed to mandated tests in the State of

Georgia.

GKAP-R SAT9ITBSCRCTAPNAEPPSATGHSGT

GADOE http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/sla/ret/recotest.html



Finding our Voice(s)

Parent

Teacher

TE ProfessionalGATE

GAICTE

GACTE

PAGE

GAE

Student

Citizen

Registered Voter



Taking Action Know the facts - research Advocate authentic assessment strategies Submit editorials, commentaries, and opinions to local

paper Write or visit board members, legislators, and governor Sponsor a forum, demonstration, or “teach-in” Print bumper stickers/signs – “Standardized testing is

dumbing down our schools!” Challenge testing advocates Protest – invite the media Organize, petition, and boycott


Defining Quality in Education Resourceswww.fairtest.com



www.cpoga.org



www.nomoretests.com



www.geocities.com/educationaccountability/



Talk of the Nation - NPRhttp://www.npr.org/ramfiles/totn/20000106.totn.02.ram

The Case Against Standardized TestingAlfie Kohn

Standardized Minds

Peter Sacks



The Way We Were?Richard Rothstein

One Size Fits FewSusan Ohanian



Failing Our KidsWhy the Testing CrazeWon’t Fix Our SchoolsRethinking Schools

High StakesTesting for Tracking, Promotion, and GraduationNational Research Council



Contradictions ofSchool ReformLinda McNeil

The DisciplinedMindHoward Gardner



None of the AboveThe Truth Behind the SATsDavid Owen w/ Marilyn Doerr

Testing! What Every ParentShould Know About School TestsJames Popham



Testing to LearnLearning to TestJoanne Capper

Gender and FairAssessmentWarren WillinghamNancy Cole



Institute for Educational Accountabilitywww.geocities.com/educationaccountability/

2277 Martha Berry Highway

P. O. Box 5011

Mount Berry, GA 30149-5011

Fax/Phone: 706-238-7805

Email: dwakefield @ berry . edu

October 9, 2001Berry College Defining Quality in Education Taking a Stand Against High-Stakes Testing.

Documents

berry college injustice

berry college testing

berry college institute

berry college talk

berry college resources

mount berry

boycott slide

highstakes testing slide