description- – The goal of this study was to identify the effects of state-level standards-based reform on teaching and learning, paying particular attention to the state test and associated stakes. On-site interviews were conducted with 360 educators (elementary, middle, and high school teachers) in 3 states (120 in each state) attaching different stakes to the test results. In Kansas, state test results were used to determine school accreditation but had no stakes for students. In Michigan, school accreditation was determined by student participation in and performance on the state test and students received an endorsed diploma and were eligible for college tuition credit if they scored above a certain level on the 11th grade tests. In Massachusetts, school ratings were based on the percentage of students in different performance categories and students, starting in 2003, had to pass the 10th grade test to graduate. No clear relationship was found between the level of the stakes attached to the state test and the influence of the state standards on classroom practice. Findings suggest that other factors are at least as important, if not more so, in terms of encouraging educators to align classroom curricula with these standards. At the same time, as the stakes attached to the test results increased, the test seemed to become the medium through which the standards were interpreted. Taken together, findings suggest that stakes are a powerful level for effecting change, but one whose effects are uncertain. A one-size-fits-all model of standards, tests, and accountability in not likely to bring about the greatest motivation and learning for all students. Three appendixes contain a grid describing state testing programs, the interview protocol, and the methodology.
subjectcollectiondatepublishercreator description- – Results from a national survey of teachers are reported for five types of state testing programs, those with: (1) high stakes for districts, schools, or teachers, and students; (2) high stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and moderate stakes for students; (3) high stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and low stakes for students; (4) moderate stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and high stakes for students; and (5) moderate stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and low stakes for students. Of the 12,000 teachers who received surveys, 4,195 returned responses. At least two themes emerged from these survey data. In several areas, teachers' responses differ significantly when analyzed by the severity of the stakes attached to test results. Pressure on teachers, emphasis on test preparation, time devoted to test content, and views on accountability are such areas. The second theme is that views of elementary, middle, and high school teachers regarding the effects of their state's test differed from each other in areas such as school climate and classroom use of test results. There are also instances in which stakes and grade level combined show interesting patterns in teachers' responses, and areas in which there are no differences. The summary is organized by major areas surveyed, and within each area, findings are presented for stakes levels, grade levels, and stakes combined with grade levels. Five appendixes contain supplemental information and data tables. (Contains 16 figures, 88 tables, and 53 references.) (SLD)
subjectcollectiondatepublishercreator description- – The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has brought great attention to the high school graduation rate as one of the mandatory accountability measures for public school systems. However, there is no consensus on how to calculate the high school graduation rate given the lack of longitudinal databases that track individual students through their schooling. This study reviews literature on and practices in reporting high school graduation rates, compares graduation rate estimates yielded from alternative methods, and estimates discrepancies between alternative results at national, state, and state ethnic group levels. Despite the graduation rate method used, results indicate that high school graduation rates in the U.S. have been declining in recent years and that graduation rates for black and Hispanic students lag substantially behind those of white students. As to graduation rate method preferred, this study found no evidence that the conceptually more complex methods yield more accurate or valid graduation rate estimates than the simpler methods.
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