Blog Post 9: This I Believe Annotated Bibliography

My “This I Believe” Proposal is that I feel that there should be less of an emphasis on standardized tests. I plan on teaching early childhood education and it saddens me to see these students starting to prepare at such a young age. I feel that all of the constant prepping takes away from the students getting to use creativity in the classroom. Recess is being shortened, art classes are being cut, and students are memorizing facts that will soon be forgotten. I believe that students, especially at such a young age, should be able to enjoy learning, and they should learn information for their own sake, not to judge their performance on how well they test. I found 5 articles that relate to my statement. I depicted each one and pulled out points that demonstrated my belief.

1. Standardized Testing

   Wylie, Jordan. "Standardized Testing". Political Theory. gameofroles.wordpress.com. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

https://gameofroles.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/standardized-testing/

Months on end are spent studying and preparing for standardized tests, and the scores resulting have a major impact on one’s future. Although other things such as extra curriculars and GPA come into play, the weight of influence the standardized tests provide can be unfair to those who are not strong test takers. The article also states that testing is starting to develop a larger role in the early elementary level. These young children are forced to receive an education that is geared towards preparation for standardized tests and don’t have as many opportunities to explore outside of their textbooks. I believe that standardized tests can actually be more harmful than helpful. I believe that it is taking away from using creativity in the classroom, and at a young age that could actually hurt a child.

2) Colleges are Putting Too Much Emphasis on Standardized Tests
Rory, Jennifer. "Colleges are Putting Too Much Emphasis on Standardized Tests". smeharbinger.net. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

https://smeharbinger.net/colleges-are-putting-too-much-emphasis-on-standardized-tests/

Intelligence nowadays seems to be based off of how well a student can perform on a standardized test. Students who receive higher scores on tests such as the ACT or SAT are considered to be smarter and have an easier time getting into more prestigious universities and getting more scholarship than those who score lower. This type of system does not accurately depict how well a student is going to do in life simply due to the fact that some students are better test takers than others. These tests are also unable to show some of the skills and character traits that are a key part to success. Traits such as creativity, perseverance, collaboration, vision and self-discipline are a few basics that are helpful in the professional world that are not measured by these tests. I believe that schools should start putting more of an emphasis on hands-on experience and draw away from using standardized test as the most “accurate” way of measuring a student’s success. I feel that creativity is just as important of a trait to acquire.

3) The Negative Effects of High-Stakes Testing
Spann, Pamela. "The Negative Effects of High-Stakes Testing". luc.edu. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016

http://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/centers/childlaw/childed/pdfs/2015studentpapers/Spann.pdf

High-stake testing has become pervasive in the current educational culture and both young students and those entering college are all impacted by the pressure to do well on these tests. In the United States, No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have both put massive emphasis on tests scores as a means for schools to receive funding, and the amount of funded that a school gets is based off of how well their students perform. In some states, “students entering kindergarten will take a minimum of 16 state tests before graduation”. Since subjects such as music, art, social studies, science, and physical education are not tested, teachers often have less time to devote to these areas. I believe that the emphasis on tested subjects decreases the educational experience that a child receives because the teachers have to spend so much time prepping for yet another standardized test. I also believe that when prepping begins at such a young age it could actually have a negative impact.

4) Standardized Testing and Its Victims
Kohn, Alfie. "Standardized Testing and Its Victims". alfiekohn.org. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016

http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/standardized-testing-victims/

In this day in age few countries use standardized tests for children below high school age, yet America is one of the few that does. These tests scores often measure superficial thinking. Elementary school students were classified as actively engaged in learning if they asked questions of themselves while they read and tried to connect what they were doing to past learning. Superficial thinking, on the other hand, involves simply copying down answers, guessing and skipping over the hard parts. Schools all over are eliminating programs such as art, recess, electives and extracurriculars to focus more time on preparing for these tests. I feel that this is taking away from the creativity aspect of school and learning. Memorizing information will only get a student so far, and starting at a young age can decrease their ability to be kids and to be creative in the classroom.

5) Standardized Tests Do Not Effectively Measure Student Achievement

Harris, Phillip. "Standardized Tests Do Not Effectively Measure Student Achievement. Standardized Testing. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, www.go.galegroup.com

In this article, Phillip Harris, the executive director for the Association for Educational Communications & Technology, depicts the difference between standardized tests and student achievement. He states, "...scores of standardized tests are not the same as student achievement." Standardized tests do a poor job of measuring student achievement because they do not measure attributes such as creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity and so on. Another negative behind standardized tests is that they create incentives for students to become superficial thinkers and seek the quick and obvious answer. I believe that Harris does a nice job pointing out the negatives behind standardized test. I do not believe that these types of tests measure a person's true intelligence.

BAGNATO, SJ; et al. Authentic Assessment as “Best Practice” for Early Childhood Intervention: National Consumer Social Validity Research. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. 34, 2, 116-127, Aug. 2014. ISSN: 02711214. 

The early childhood professionals recognize the limitations of conventional testing with young children. This recognition has given rise to Authentic Assessment, now recognized officially as best practice by the major professional organizations. However, no national studies have been conducted to document the comparative qualities of either authentic or conventional approaches—according to meaningful external standards. Based on a national Internet survey of professionals, we report details of a social validity study of common measurement methods on eight operationally defined standards for developmentally appropriate assessment linked to professionally sanctioned practice standards and indicators. Approximately 1,500 professional responses reveal higher quality appraisals for authentic assessment over conventional testing methods for early childhood intervention purposes. Based on these results, we offer recommendations to advance valid, sensible, and contextually appropriate assessmentfor early childhood intervention. 

HOWLIN, P. Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: Best Practices. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 26, 2, 181, Mar. 2013. ISSN: 13602322.

GRISHAM-BROWN, J; HALLAM, R; BROOKSHIRE, R. Using Authentic Assessment to Evidence Children’s Progress Toward Early Learning Standards. Early Childhood Education Journal. 34, 1, 45-51, Aug. 2006. ISSN: 10823301.