Implications
of High Stakes Assessments
Assessments are used to further and improve student
learning. High-stakes assessments are
assessments given with awareness that significant consequences are based on the
results. This type of exam is an
assessment of learning because students’ data from the test are compared to
specific standards. As the name indicates, “the stakes are high”, from the
outcome of the test. The Scholastic
Assessment Test, known by all high school students in the United States as the SAT
and the ACT and are the leading high stakes assessment tests. Of course there are other high stakes
assessments administered to students throughout their school years.
The SAT and ACT are used for admission to Universities
and colleges in America. High school students take the test(s) during junior
and senior year. The purpose of the SAT
and ACT is to determine a student’s readiness to enter college, measuring what
they learned in high school. The SAT
measures the literacy, writing and mathematical skills and the ACT measures English,
mathematics, reading and science. A
student applies to college by filling out the admissions application which
requires the SAT or ACT results. These
high stakes assessments have been used for decades to decide if a student is
the right fit for the college or University.
One can get an idea of the importance placed on the SAT or ACT with one
internet search. Prep courses, practice classes,
webinars, and many more sites on how to improve your score. American high school students know the
importance of the score.
As teachers we are expected to analyze assessment data
to determine strengths, weaknesses, and specific student needs. Noting
that assessments can be biased, many types of assessment are used to
evaluate students’ progress. The SAT and ACT are different because the
teacher is not administering or using the data for the current class. Students who are performing to the standards
or above are expected to be successful on these tests because the test is supposed
to be a reflection of what they have already learned. With that being said, teachers are now in a
situation to focus on specific content on these tests.
A positive for teachers and school is the data received. I show two specific schools below and how
they compare to the national average.
The data can help teachers focus on specific content needed to ensure
students are learning what they need to learn.
The data can be broken down even more to assist teachers and administration
to specifics. On the flip side
creativity in lesson planning can be inhibited because these tests can dictate
what will be taught in the classroom.
“While the SAT is not taught in American high schools, it
is meant to be a reflection of the CORE Curriculum and
to predict college success. The College Board states that any student capable
of getting a high GPA in an American high school should be able to excel on the
SAT.” (Green Test Prep, 2018)
Analysis of Simi Valley School District: One of the school districts I will apply to
teach high school mathematics is the Simi Valley School district. Royal
High School is an above average, public school located in the school district. It has approximately 2,000+ students in grades
9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 25 to 1. Average SAT composite score for Royal High
School is 1190 out of 1600 and ACT composite score is 27 out of 36 based on
data from the schools website. Simi Valley High School
has approximately 2250+ students in grades 9-12 with an average SAT composite
score 1590 and ACT composite score 24 based on data from the schools website.
A perfect SAT score is 2400 with a national average of 1500; a perfect ACT score is 36 with a national average of 21. There has been criticism that the test
questions reflect high income areas.
Revisions have been made to the SAT from criticism and a new SAT with a
1600 score was first revised in 2005 and again in 2016. The two schools I reported on scores are based on 2400 point SAT.
“The following scores correlate with the following percentiles for the new
scoring scale of the SAT:
1600 = 99.93rd percentile
1480 = 99th percentile
1340 = 93rd percentile
1150 = 72nd percentile
1010 = 48th percentile” (Green Test Prep, 2018)
Royal High School SAT is below the national average while Simi High School is slightly above the national average. SAT results show Royal High School is above the national average and higher than Simi High Schools composite score. A quick observation indicates that Royal High School instruction might be more ACT focused while Simi High appears to be SAT driven. I thought it was important to note that both the SAT and ACT offer accommodations to students
with specific needs.
Working with high school students for over fourteen
years now I have witnessed the impact of how students associate a score or
number to their entire future. Students
start to think about their future, what college they would want to go to and
what they will do as work/career. Certain
Universities and colleges have success attached to their names and they work
hard for that honor. These institutions
want incoming students reflecting specific scores among other admission
requirements. These are the scores or
numbers students strive to achieve to have a chance to go to college or
University.
A positive and negative are generated from these high
stake assessments for the student. The
positive of this type of testing/assessment is it can motivate students to work
hard and benefit from the high school experience to the fullest. The negative is the stress and anxiety
resulting from not being able to achieve a desired result. I personally feel this is a good life
lesson. A number does not define who you
are or how successful you will be; it is working hard and learning and growing
from your experiences and pressures of life. Of course a high school student
will digest that on a different level.
I thought about school with out high stakes assessments and came to the conclusion that it would not be good overall for the student and for the schools. There is important data and motivation that high stakes assessments provide. I was left with the questions after my research and reading - Is there a test or assessment that can truly measure the knowledge and capability of an individual (student)? For now this is what we have!
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