This essay argues that high-stakes testing, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, has a negative effect on student learning. The paper presents three central arguments: first, that high-stakes testing incentivizes teachers to teach to the test rather than fostering genuine competency; second, that students come to view passing the test as the ultimate goal of education, generating harmful stress and increased dropout risk; and third, that students with learning disabilities are systematically disadvantaged because schools fail to provide the accommodations and appropriate curriculum they need to succeed on standardized assessments.
The paper demonstrates classical argumentative essay structure: a thesis is stated in the introduction, supported by three distinct and progressively broadening arguments (teacher behavior, student psychology, and systemic inequity), and restated in the conclusion with a call for further research. This scaffolded approach ensures each point builds logically on the last.
The essay opens with context about educational assessment and the role of the No Child Left Behind Act, then states its thesis and previews its three arguments. Each body section addresses one argument in turn, with supporting citations. The conclusion synthesizes all three arguments and closes with a cautionary policy recommendation, noting that further research is needed before high-stakes testing can be deemed safe or beneficial.
Most teachers and administrators agree that it is important to measure student learning within schools. Performing tests, obtaining results, and analyzing those results can help schools make decisions about curriculum, faculty, and environment, among other variables. Obtaining test results can help schools better serve their students, producing more capable learners. But what is the best way to obtain these results?
The No Child Left Behind Act mandates high-stakes testing as the primary assessment method through which student learning is evaluated. High-stakes testing has even been called the "backbone" of No Child Left Behind (Nichols, n.d., para. 4). High-stakes tests can be defined as assessments used to make influential decisions about students' lives, such as whether they will advance to the next grade or graduate. Beckette and Brown argue that most teachers do not support high-stakes testing (cited in "Pros and Cons," 2006, para. 3). In fact, there are many arguments against high-stakes testing, though some argue that carefully designed high-stakes testing can be beneficial in shaping "school curriculum and reform" ("Pros and Cons," 2006, para. 5).
This essay argues that high-stakes testing has a negative effect on student learning. This argument is developed through three claims: first, that high-stakes testing encourages teachers to teach to the test rather than teaching the skills students need to obtain genuine competency in a field; second, that high-stakes testing encourages students to view the test — rather than learning itself — as the ultimate goal of education; and third, that high-stakes testing disadvantages students with learning disabilities.
Because teachers are assessed based on the performance of their students on high-stakes tests, they have an incentive to teach material they know will appear on those tests, rather than material that will most impact students' academic, professional, and personal lives. Those who favor high-stakes testing suggest that "teachers need high-stakes tests to know what is important to teach" and that teachers need the tests to "motivate them" (Amrein & Berliner, 2002). Although some teachers fit this description, the vast majority do not.
Teachers — especially experienced ones — learn through trial and error, through prior teaching experiences, through working with students one-on-one, and through the practices of their peers. Every classroom is different, and the pace, structure of assignments, and approach to students must be based, in part, on those students themselves. Teachers who are motivated only to teach what they know will be on the test do a disservice to students: they do not encourage students to practice the critical thinking skills and reasoning necessary for their futures. Instead, such teachers encourage the memorization of testable content so that both students and teacher will perform satisfactorily on the assessment — regardless of whether deeper learning has occurred.
High-stakes testing is a practice adopted by many schools and enforced by the No Child Left Behind Act. High-stakes tests are those that determine whether a student will advance to another grade level, graduate, or achieve some other significant milestone. Although some people favor high-stakes testing — even calling it "an extremely valuable part of educational assessment" ("Appropriate Use," 2002, para. 16) — many educators and researchers do not believe it is the best way to assess students.
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