ERIC Number: ED429089
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-Jan
Pages: 41
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Why Testing Experts Hate Testing.
Phelps, Richard P.
Fordham Report, v3 n1 Jan 1999
The objections of testing experts to standardized testing are evaluated. The report begins with a foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr., followed by an executive summary and an introduction. Four case studies include: (1) experts' opposition to high-stakes testing in Texas; (2) in North Carolina; (3) concerns raised in connection with the National Assessment of Educational Progress; and (4) in connection with the Scholastic Assessment Tests. Eight alleged harms of standardized testing are: (1) test score inflation; (2) curriculum narrowing; (3) emphasis on lower-level thinking; (4) declining achievement; (5) harm to women and minorities; (6) expense; (7) over use compared to other countries; and (8) opposition from parents, students, and teachers. Each of the claims is examined in detail, and a rebuttal is offered for each. The conclusion offers two views of testing and learning. (Contains 139 endnotes.) (SLD)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Case Studies, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Minority Groups, Scores, Standardized Tests, Test Bias, Test Use, Testing Programs
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 1627 K Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 2006 (single copies free).
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Washington, DC.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A