Introduction
A majority of teachers have the desire to make a contribution to the lives of their students and the lives of the individuals concerned (Testing- Testing, Assessment, and Excellence Texting Our School FRONTLINE). Teachers receive their education through a pedagogical procedure that has been structured for the preparation of students for the profession (Lai et al., 2012). Most teachers approach their practice with a comprehension of their roles concerning the delivery of the curriculum and the ethical roles of the profession. Through the experiences that they have with their students, members of the administration, parents, and colleagues, a teacher engages in the development of their values and what they want to represent (Higgins, 2011). Without developing and maintaining a clear purpose and clarifying what they value, it is difficult for them to make an assumption of their instructional leadership positions in the classroom. This results in the establishment of ideas and opinions that they have concerning issues such as high-stakes testing (Raynard et al., 2014). This paper will outline a framework for the development of one’s own ethical and moral philosophies in relation to high-stakes testing.
High Stakes Testing
Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was enacted, several parents, teachers, and members of the administration have taken a stand against something they view as harming public education and American children; high stakes testing (Raynard et al., 2014). High stakes testing is a test with essential consequences for those who take the tests. Under NCLB, all children in the country must have proficiency in reading and math. While all states can conduct their own determination of their level of proficiency, the capability of a child to advance to the next level is based on a standardized test (Raynard et al., 2014). Across the country, children in minority societies have a higher likelihood not to receive a diploma due to low test scores on the examinations mandated. High-stakes testing has a direct and powerful influence on the ways that teachers teach and the strategies that students use to learn. As a result of the benefits and limitations associated with high-stakes testing, different teachers have varying perceptions in regards to this form of testing (Lai et al., 2012). The pedagogical practice changed in several schools as an outcome of the NCLB legislation.
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Ethical Framework for High-Stakes Testing
The framework discussed is an integration of the ethical concepts identified based on the advantages and restrictions associated with high-stakes testing.
Virtue Ethics
The ethical teacher examines the teacher's procedure of reflection and decision-making for practice through the perspective of virtue ethics. A teacher's ethical knowledge is evaluated by the individual's comprehension and acceptance of their profession demands with the application of their daily practice (Higgins, 2011). Some teachers conduct their duties without full awareness of the moral and ethical effects of their actions and decisions due to the ethical habits that are deeply ingrained in them and affect their inclinations. Virtue ethics is based on the character of the individual. High-stakes testing is one of the numerous ethical dilemmas that teachers have to deal with each day.
Virtue ethics refers to an approach that deemphasizes rules, consequences, and specific acts and focuses on the kind of individual acting. The issue is not mainly whether the intention is right or whether one is following the appropriate rule. While these are significant aspects, virtue ethics is focused on whether the individual involved express good character or not. Some teachers experience moral challenges regarding whether they dutifully implement policies and adhere to the identified process they view as having a harmful effect on students (Raynard et al., 2014). Should teachers divert the procedures of administering standardized tests, they view as harmful in ways that may enhance students' achievement? Some teachers have concerns about how they respond to the classroom environment might result in unintended adverse outcomes. Therefore, they may avoid doing things that they know they should do. A teacher may manifest virtue ethics when they engage in the reflection of their practice and the decision they make concerning the students (Higgins, 2011). These decisions may affect the achievement objectives of their students. The comprehension of these decisions will also affect the perception of their teachers regarding their actions. Hence in their daily tasks, teachers should display traits such as being responsible, accountable, and honest.
Ethics of Care
In the ethics of care, the duties of a teacher include demonstrating a sincere concern for practicing teaching and the commitment to the learners. Ethics of care is a distinct moral theory that puts an emphasis on the significance of the responsibilities, concerns, and relationships over outcomes or rules. The concept of care is mainly used in processions that care for individuals, and this approach to ethics is, therefore, a core aspect of ethical issues in teaching (Shevalier et al., 2012). This ethical base utilizes a relational and context-based approach concerning morality and making decisions. The term ethics of care refers to ideas that concern the question of whether something is moral or not. Hence, the individual involved acts in response to the perception of a need for the one to be cared for. This is motivated by compassion for the student's reality, where the teacher feels and senses what the student is experiencing and is committed to providing assistance.
Teachers should seek to establish collaborative teacher-student relationships while maintaining mutual concerns for dialogue. There should be a collaboration between teachers and students for the production of internal motivation for learning. Through authentic instructions, the students will also obtain the required knowledge in the specific content area (Lai et al., 2012). In the ethics of care, pedagogical practice will be emphasized along with selecting the required curriculum. An ethic of care evaluation procedure would involve evaluating the included lesson plans, instructional designs, and attaining the necessary goals and objectives identified in the plan of instruction. Subject matters should have relevance and have usefulness to the students engaged in curriculum content. Also, a caring teacher makes a consideration of the community in which the school is located, so that the included culture acts as a reflection of the communal culture.
Ethics of Justice
The ethics of justice involves both an individual's choice to act justly and the school's community choices for acting or governing in a just way. The ethic of justice presents a framework for individuals to find solutions to problems through the establishment of what is just and fair for both the individual and the school environment (Smeyers et al., 2018). The main focus of the ethics of justice is rules-based decision making. This is based on the concept of the promotion of fairness by identifying rights, rules, and laws as having great value while also providing support to equal treatment. The ethics of justice includes an ethical perspective concerning what ethical decisions are made on the base of universal principles and rules. This is with specifics on ensuring that decisions are made in an impartial and verifiable way with a perspective to ensure that fair and equitable treatments for all individuals. It deals with moral choices through the measurement of the rights of those that are included in the situation. A choice or a solution is them decided on what results in the least damage to the fewest individuals.
Aspects of social justice and equity within the educational environment and the primary objectives in the ethics of justice. This concept is founded on ideas that instructors should be integral in how they each and clarity in what they believe is appropriately, consequently, going against what is expected of them (Smeyers et al., 2018). Instructors have to use their optimal professional perspectives to make decisions that will benefit students in the best way. One of the main aspects of the ethics of justice is that teachers should have an engagement in actions and reflections. These actions and reflections will result in a democratic classroom that endorses a strategy that is centered on the learners.
Impact on the Planning and Delivery Methods of the Teachers Involved
The ethical teaching framework identified makes a description of the teacher as a professional and is an integration of the three ethical concepts in their practice. Hence, virtue ethics, ethics of care, and ethics of justice overlap and can usually be seen in the practice of teachers and instructional processes. In this case, the ethical teacher has an understanding of the special roles that their profession necessitates. They are aware of the particular needs of their students and have an understanding of the learning theory. They will then use instructional strategies that increase their capability for the maximization of instructions within the classroom (Testing- Testing, Assessment, and Excellence Texting Our School FRONTLINE).
The knowledge, expertise, and desires to do what is best for students to act as the base for the ethical teacher framework. This teacher will indicate a genuine concern for their students when planning and delivering the instructions that they provide (Raynard et al., 2014). This type of teacher will also have the understanding that the content area instruction was significant. From the perspective of this framework, teachers will engage in making decisions that focus on the welfare of the students. Teachers have to be in compliance with the requirements of their job titles while also attempting to meet the curriculum needs of their content areas. The ethic of care will be evident if the teachers show concern for the welfare of their students. On the other hand, the ethics of justice will be achieved through a clear understanding of the priorities linked to the implementation of a quality instructional plan.
References
Lai, S. A., & Berkeley, S. (2012). High-stakes test accommodations: Research and practice. Learning Disability Quarterly , 35 (3), 158-169.
Raynard, S., Wahl, S., Hoffman, T., & Szecsy, E. (2014). Teachers’ Perceptions of Stress Regarding High-Stakes Test and Teacher Accountability (ProQuest Dissertations Publishing). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1540841236/
Shevalier, R., & McKenzie, B. A. (2012). Culturally responsive teaching as an ethics-and care-based approach to urban education. Urban Education , 47 (6), 1086-1105.
Smeyers, P., & Depaepe, M. (Eds.). (2018). Educational Research: Ethics, Social Justice, and Funding Dynamics (Vol. 10). Springer.
Testing- Testing, Assessment, and Excellence Texting Our School FRONTLINE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/testing/merrow.html
