Pros And Cons Of High Stakes Testing

Testing is an important part of the education system. Standardized testing has been around since the year of 1965. There are multiple types of test that a student will take throughout their education journey. One type of important test that a student will take is called high stakes testing. “A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability—i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers” (Great Schools Partnership , 2014). This generally means that the test score is used to determine reward, placement, or punishment. For example if you do poorly on the test, you may have to do extra work or face a penalty. If you do well, you can be placed ahead or in a higher class, or get an award. Teacher can use different types of awards, to motivate the students to do better on a test. A high-stake test also shows who passes and fails clearly, has consequences, and is a
The second pro is that the test results are usually publicly available. This means that parents and guardians of students can see how they are performing on tests and in school. Having the test scores publicly available, makes parents agree with high-stakes testing. It also shows who is ahead and behind in school. “Like an example of Social Darwinism, high-stakes testing separate the good students from the bad ones” (DeWitt, 2014). Another pro is that parents and teachers have noticed is that high-stakes testing improves the student’s test-taking abilities, and the tests do not discriminate. “Information on these tests aren’t geared toward a specific racial, ethnic, or even financial demographic” (Apecses, 2015). The information on the test is the same for all students and is leveled based on their