The education sector has been graced with plenty of reforms in a bid to improve performance. High stakes has been noted to be controversial as it continues to incorporate in many state schools. Educational stakeholders are being rewarded or sanctioned according to their test results (Kamenetz, 2015). This paper will analyze my personal thoughts on high stakes testing in the education sector.
Personal reflection
High stakes testing has become one of the most contentious subjects in the education sector. It has attracted a lot of supporters as well its fair share of critics. In simple terms, high stakes testing is a system of rewarding or sanctioning educational stakeholders such as school administrators, teachers and students based on test results (Kamenetz, 2015). I believe that this concept has a certain level of positive impact in the education sector. The main aim of education in this country is to ensure that students are able to perform well in curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Therefore, the presence of high stakes testing is vital in improving and enhancing performance of students and teachers while minimizing the achievement gap (Strauss, 2017). This means that all students whether White, Black or Hispanic is able to perform well without leaving anyone behind. This creates a high sense of coherence within the school as well as providing exceptional performance.
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However, I also agree with the critics who are claiming that the pressure to pass test exams has displaced other important skills towards learning as students are solely inclined to passing the exams (Morgan, 2016). The concept of learning is wide and includes a lot of things such as analysis, critical thinking, brainstorming, reviewing, among many others which are important to students. The high stakes has only made teachers to teach for the test and students to read for the test.
Conclusion
In conclusion, high stakes testing is a critical component for success in the education sector. However, its elements and processes should be reviewed and amended in order to facilitate the wide aspects of learning. Students should be transformed into learners and not “test heroes. Ultimately, it has had a positive impact of improving performance and reducing the achievement gap among students.
References
Kamenetz, A. (2015). The past, present and future of high-stakes testing . Retrieved Online, October 23, 2017, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing
Morgan, H. (2016). Relying on high-stakes standardized tests to evaluate schools and teachers: a bad idea. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 89(2), 102-134.
Strauss, V. (2017). How testing practices have to change in U.S. public schools . Retrieved Online, October 23, 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/01/06/how-testing-practices-have-to-change-in-u-s-public-schools/?utm_term=312e0d1716dd
