Mrs. Stevens has been teaching for eleven years. She has administered standardized tests every year and studied her students' scores. Over the years she has become quite frustrated with the whole process. If she is like many other teachers who have voiced objections, what are most likely herobjections?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response: Mrs. Stevens is certainly not alone in feeling frustrated about high-stakes testing. Many teachers have voiced objections, and Mrs. Stevens' objections may mirror those of others.
• Test results are returned to teachers too late in the school year for them to use the results to plan instruction for their current students.
• Teachers complain about the mismatch between the curriculum and the content and skills covered on the tests.
• Teachers often feel that the amount of time spent preparing for and administering the tests is inappropriate. They feel that test content narrows and defines their curriculum.
• Many districts use test results to judge the effectiveness of schools and individual teachers. They often based decisions about allocations of funds on the results of standardized tests.
• Teachers feel that other tests should be included in the picture of their students' achievement rather than placing great significance on results of a single battery of tests. Students' abilities may be judged wrongly on the basis of these tests.
• Teachers may see parents and colleagues make decisions about retaining a student on the basis of high-stakes test scores. They prefer to look at multiple factors and do everything possible to help students gain ground through remediation rather than retention.
Text Reference: Standardized Testing