Test preparation in New Jersey: inquiry‐oriented and didactic responses1

Firestone, William A.; Monfils, Lora; Schorr, Roberta Y.

doi:10.1080/0969594042000209001

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Mills also suggested that multiple-choice questions "narrow comprehension by focusing on trivial facts" (p. 213). Others have also indicated that large-scale assessments driven by policy can affect the validity of results as well as undermine instruction (Firestone, Monfils, & Schorr, 2004). Indeed, the Australian Federation of SPELD Associations ( 2005) stated that the BST does not directly assess the skills required for reading and suggested that national literacy benchmarks may be useful as screening tests, and students identified by these benchmarks can then be further tested.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Do More Boys Than Girls Have Reading Problems?

Wheldall

Limbrick

2010

J Learn Disabil

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There is controversy within the research literature concerning the relative prevalence of reading problems in boys and girls. The authors report findings from very large and very representative samples of Australian students. Data from the New South Wales Basic Skills Test (BST) for reading, administered annually to third and fifth grade students in New South Wales schools, were analyzed for 1997 to 2006. Poor readers were defined as students who scored in the lowest BST bands, Bands 1 and 2. Average boy/girl ratios for third-grade students were 1.66:1 (Band 1) and 1.44:1 (combined Bands 1 and 2) and for fifth grade students were 2.26:1 (Band 1) and 1.99:1 (combined Bands 1 and 2). The findings of this study confirm earlier research that more boys than girls experience reading problems, but these differences in incidence may be more modest than previous research has suggested.

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Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Do More Boys Than Girls Have Reading Problems?

Wheldall

Limbrick

2010

J Learn Disabil

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“…Teachers in one study reported high stakes testing fosters creativity (Buck, Ritter, Jensen, & Rose, 2010). Moreover, Firestone, Monfils, and Schorr (2004) stated teachers with administrative support were more confident in using best teaching practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers’ Beliefs about the Effects of High Stakes Testing

Brockmeier¹,

Green²,

Pate³

et al. 2014

JEHD

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Since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, high stakes testing has continued to be one of the major driving forces behind educational reform. In this study, Georgia teachers' beliefs about the effects of high stakes testing were examined. A random sample of teachers from 100 of Georgia's elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools responded to a 49-item survey measured on a fivepoint Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Items were grouped into six domains: curriculum, teaching, work satisfaction, stress, accountability, and students. Teachers' responses did not differ by gender, educational level, or school level. African American teachers responded more positively than White teachers on the survey. Teachers' positive and negative responses were discussed and recommendations were made for teachers and school leaders.Keywords: accountability, high stakes testing, standardized testing, teachers Kaback (2006) indicated that due to America's obsession with testing, high stakes standardized testing will not become an endangered species anytime soon. Although there has been some resistance in education circles during the last 10 years, the general public, policymakers, and parents continue to demand better school performance and view the results of high stakes testing as proof of learning (Scherer, 2005;Wahlberg, 2003). The results of high stakes tests may reveal to taxpayers that their investment is producing quality outcomes (Lederman & Burnstein, 2006).As taxpayers, many parents want information allowing them to make comparisons of their children's and school's performance.Driesler (2001) reported 90% of parents wanted information that would allow the comparison about their children and schools. Moreover, 83% of parents indicated that high stakes tests provide important information about their children's education. Poll and survey data have indicated a positive view of standardized testing by the general public (Phelps, 2005). Phelps indicated the percentage point differential between positive responses and negative responses to standardized testing varied from a +90% for students passing a graduation test, a +39% for ranking schools, and a +28% for promoting students to the next grade. In a recent survey of parents, Tompson, Benz, and Agiesta (2013) reported parents think standardized testing should be used to (a) ensure students meet adequate national standards (83%), (b) rank or rate schools (65%), (c) evaluate teacher quality (60%), and (d) determine whether or not students are promoted or can graduate (58%).

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“…As this finding was part of a larger analysis on predictors of the quality of elementary mathematics instruction, the authors did not explore this relationship in depth. The most comprehensive study of test preparation and ambitious instruction that we found used self-reports of the frequency of test preparation activities (i.e., having practice sessions with test-like items, teaching test-taking mechanics) from a stratified random sample of 247 fourth-grade math teachers throughout New Jersey (Firestone, Monfils, & Schorr, 2004). The study also collected classroom observations and interview data from a nonrandom subset of 78 teachers from seven districts in the state.…”

Section: Test Preparation and Ambitious Instruction: The Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Does Test Preparation Mean Low-Quality Instruction?

Blazar

Pollard²

2017

Educational Researcher

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Critics of test-based accountability warn that test preparation has a negative influence on teachers' instruction due to a focus on procedural skills. Others advocate that the adoption of more rigorous assessments may be a way to incentivize more ambitious test preparation instruction. Drawing on classroom observations and teacher surveys, we do find that test preparation activities predict lower quality and less ambitious mathematics instruction in upper-elementary classrooms. However, the magnitudes of these relationships appear smaller than the prevailing narrative has warned. Further, our findings call into question the hypothesis that test rigor can serve as a lever to elevate test preparation to ambitious teaching. Therefore, improving the quality of mathematics instruction in the midst of high-stakes testing likely will require that policymakers and school leaders undertake comprehensive efforts that look beyond the tests themselves.

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Test preparation in New Jersey: inquiry‐oriented and didactic responses1

Cited by 11 publications

References 11 publications

Do More Boys Than Girls Have Reading Problems?

Do More Boys Than Girls Have Reading Problems?

Teachers’ Beliefs about the Effects of High Stakes Testing

Does Test Preparation Mean Low-Quality Instruction?

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