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year, millions of students just like this

one take high-stakes, standardized tests just
like the one hes taking here.

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What
Every
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This
While
and,
pbin
oten=al
oy
fytollows
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some
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takes
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irs
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t 20
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ust
ulture
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es=ng
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standardized
their
to
tes=ng
prepare
take
value
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igh-stakes,
nother
sis tudents
vtests
ery blow.
baAery
efore
for
o
standardized
ur
the
eohduca=on
f e
ttests
gests
raduates.
tthat
o
tests
spystem
repare
just
like tthe
for
prepare
and
she
tealing
hotigh
ne
hem
shvtakes
es
alue
for taking
tfhe
arom
ssessments
tests
hteachers,
ere.
that
most
s tudents,
maAer.
and taxpayers.

Fortunately,
Every
The
This
While
and,
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pbin
oten=al
oy
fytollows
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to
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do
parepare
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value
is htait...
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igh-stakes,
nother
sis tudents
vtests
ery blow.
baAery
efore
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o
standardized
ur
the
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f e
ttests
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just
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for
prepare
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es
alue
for taking
tfhe
arom
ssessments
tests
hteachers,
ere.
that
most
s tudents,
maAer.
and taxpayers.

PASSING
ON THE

TEST

HOW HIGH-STAKES TESTING THREATENS AMERICAN EDUCATION

AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
BY: K. RHODIE EDWARDS

WHAT ARE

STANDARDIZED

TESTS?

HISTORY OF TESTING
Originated in China
Popularized in U.S.
1900s: IQ Test
1910s: Military
Ocer Candidacy
1940s: ETS and
college admission

SOURCE: TIME.COM

USEFULNESS OF TESTING
More ecient than
individually graded tests.
High-volume (high-N)
tests allows for
comparison between
students.

An individual student in this class can easily be ranked against other

students in the class or other classes who took the same exam.

Reliable scale allows for

absolute score insights.

WHY DO WE TEST?
Center for American Progress:
High-quality assessments generate rich data
and can provide valuable informa9on about
student progress to teachers and parents,
support accountability, promote high
expecta=ons, and encourage equity for
students of color and low-income students.

WHY DO WE TEST?
FEDERALLY
MANDATED

Required by No Child Left

Behind

Managed by states

High-Stakes = big payo

DISTRICT
MANDATED

Used mostly as a practice

or check-in for federally
mandated tests.

GRANT
REQUIRED

Funds tied to completion

of tests.

Helps with broad adoption

of policies and practices.

WHY DO WE TEST?
FEDERALLY
MANDATED

Required by No Child Left

Behind.

Managed by states.

High-Stakes

DISTRICT
MANDATED

Used mostly as a practice

or check-in for federally
mandated tests.

GRANT
REQUIRED

Funds tied to completion

of tests.

Helps with broad adoption

of policies and practices.

WHY DO WE TEST?
FEDERALLY
MANDATED

Required by No Child Left

Behind.

Managed by states.

High-Stakes

DISTRICT
MANDATED

Used mostly as a practice

or check-in for federally
mandated tests.

GRANT
REQUIRED

Funds tied to completion

of tests.

Helps with broad adoption

of policies and practices.

USING

STANDARDIZED

TESTS

USES FOR TESTS

Each test below is mandated by some districts for one or more grades
KINDERGARTEN
READINESS TESTS

HIGH SCHOOL
EXIT EXAMS
GIFTED &
TALENTED
ASSESSMENT

COLLEGE
ENTRANCE TESTS

STATEWIDE
DIAGNOSTIC EXAMS
DISTRICT
BENCHMARKING
EXAMS

SOURCE: CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

PRE-TESTS FOR
COLLEGE
ENTRANCE TESTS
COLLEGE PREP
EXAMS
COMMON-COREALIGNED
ASSESSMENTS

TIME SPENT TESTING

2% on tes=ng
18% on Test Prep
10% of addi=onal
=me is spent by
teachers on test-
related ac=vi=es.
School Time Devoted to Tes9ng
SOURCES: COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS, UFTA

TIME SPENT TESTING

2% on tes=ng
18% on Test Prep
10% of addi=onal
=me is spent by
teachers on test-
related ac=vi=es.
School Time Devoted to Tes9ng
SOURCES: COUNCIL OF GREAT CITY SCHOOLS, UFTA

TIME SPENT TESTING

2% on tes=ng
18% on Test Prep
10% of addi=onal
=me is spent by
teachers on test-
related ac=vi=es.
School Time Devoted to Tes9ng

TIME SPENT TESTING

2% on tes=ng
18% on Test Prep
65 Days

10% of addi=onal
=me is spent by
teachers on test-
related ac=vi=es.

Involve
Tes9ng
Ac9vi9es

Test-Focused School Days

School Time Devoted to Tes9ng

DIRECT COSTS OF TESTING

$400 - $1100 per student
per year.
Test licensing @ $250
Prep materials @ $550
Class Time Lost @ $300

SOURCE: CARNEGIE FOUNDATION

INDIRECT COSTS OF TESTING

TEACHER ATTRITION
45% of teachers considered
quieng due to tes=ng.
Per-teacher recruitment
and induc=on costs of
$4 K - $ 18K.
Annual NYC cost: $115 M
SOURCE: NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

MISUSING

STANDARDIZED

TESTS

THE 300 POUND GORILLA IN THE CLASSROOM:

T E S T S D O N T T E S T W H A T W E E X P E C T T H E M T O .

GOALS OF EDUCATION NOT TESTED

SURVEY OF THE US PUBLIC:
PRESUMED GOALS OF EDUCATION
Prepare children for ci9zenship
Cul=vate a skilled workforce
Teach cultural literacy
Foster cri9cal thinking skills
Develop individuals to compete in
a global economy

SOURCE: CARNEGIE FOUNDATION

DESIRABLE SKILL SETS NOT TESTED

Employers To IDC: Math (Analytics) Is The Only Mission-Critical
Skill Set Tested In Schools.
Communica=ons Skills
MS Oce
Detail Oriented
Problem Solving
Self-Star=ng
Works Independently
Organiza=onal Skills
MS PowerPoint
Analy=cal Skills
0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

Percent Indica,ng Demand for Each Skill

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL DATA CORPORATION

14%

16%

TESTS ARE NOT ACCURATE

Variance Accounted for Year-to-Year

0.8

SMALL DATA SETS MEAN

HIGH VARIANCE

0.6

This is known as an N problem.

0.4

We are only 11% certain that

math scores for 4th grade
Hispanic students can be
accurately compared to the
same group last year.

0.2
0

All Students All Students

Gr 3-5
Gr 4

Hispanics
Gr 3-5

CLICK FOR MORE INFO

SOURCE: BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

Hispanics
Gr 4

THE N PROBLEM
Variance Accounted for Year-
to-Year
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
All
All
Hispanics Hispanics
Students Students Gr 3-5
Gr 4
Gr 3-5
Gr 4

Lets say one student doubles her score from

one year to the next while the scores of her
peers stay the same. This change will have a
bigger eect on the average score of three
students than it will on the average score of
100. If we use these averages to infer the
scores of every student in the grade, the
larger sample size will be far more accurate.
This is why, when we drill down into smaller
subgroups of students, or look only at one
year of test results we see more variance .

NEXT

THE N PROBLEM
3 7 8

400
350
300
250

2 5 4

2 2 7

3 0 4

So even if the average for each groups

tests scores is the same 200 p o in ts, what
we might expect them to score the next
ti me around va ries great ly b etwe en
groups.

200
150

183

100

1 4 6

50

9 6

0
All Students
Gr 3-5

All Students
Gr 4

Hispanics
Gr 3-5

SOURCE: BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

22

Hispanics
Gr 4

The average for all students will be

between 146 & 254 if we include only the
4 t h grade tests, but the average for
Hispanics may be as low as 22 or as high
as 378. The more tests in the data set,
the more a ccura te t he score.

TESTS ARE NOT ACCURATE

WALTER STROUP
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

72% of a tests score

measures students
ability to take tests
(constancy).

TESTS ARE NOT ACCURATE

PEARSONS RESONSE

AS TEXAS TESTING PROVIDER

Actually, Stroups
research shows that
only 50.4% of results
due to constancy.

So its more like a 200 pound orangutan

Marjorie Scardino. Pearson CEO 1997 - 2013

SOURCE: PEARSON.COM

WHAT
CAN WE

DO?

ALTERNATIVES TO TESTING
TEST MORE

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

FOLLOW
FINLAND

STEALTH
ASSESSMENT

Alleviates the N problem

Focus on teacher quality

Exacerbates other testrelated problems.

High standards, big

investment

Assessment embedded in
everyday tasks & games.

Continuously measures
skills, attitudes, abilities.

Results take decades

ALTERNATIVES TO TESTING
TEST MORE

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

FOLLOW
FINLAND

STEALTH
ASSESSMENT

Alleviates the N problem

Focus on teacher quality

Exacerbates other testrelated problems.

High standards, big

investment

Assessment embedded in
everyday tasks & games.

Continuously measures
skills, attitudes, abilities.

Results take decades

ALTERNATIVES TO TESTING
TEST MORE

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

FOLLOW
FINLAND

STEALTH
ASSESSMENT

Alleviates the N problem

Focus on teacher quality

Too many tests to

prepare for.

High standards, big

investment

Assessment embedded in
everyday tasks & games.

Continuously measures
skills, attitudes, abilities.

Results take decades

STEALTH ASSESSMENT IN ACTION

T E A C H T O O N E
b y N e w C l a s s r o o m s

Every student has a laptop

Every exercise is a stealthy assessment
Data generates targeted lessons,
leveled groups and pairs for next steps.
$100 per student per year (math only)

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO LEARN MORE.

WHY STEALTH ASSESSMENT?

Ra9o of Teach to One Student Math Gains
to Na9onal Norms
2

TEACH TO ONE
RESULTS

1.75
1.5
1.25
1
0.75
Low Achieving
(n=2,029)

Average Achieving
(n=1,381)

High Achieving
(n=707)

Results are statistically signicant to alpha = .001 for low and average achieving students.

During its second year,

the neediest Teach to
One students improved
81% more than the
national norm.

STEALTH ASSESSMENT IN ACTION

NEWTONS PLAYGROUND
Florida State University
laboratory project
TEACHES: physics
ASSESSES: persistence,
perfec=onism, organiza=on,
carefulness, physics

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO LEARN MORE.

WHY STEALTH ASSESSMENT?

Stealth assessments generate rich data
and can provide valuable informa9on about
student progress to teachers and parents,
support accountability, promote high
expecta=ons, and encourage equity for
students of color and low-income students.

WHY STEALTH ASSESSMENT?

Which of Employers Most Requested Skillsets are
Tested via Teach to One and Newtons Playground?

It also empowers teachers to

address student needs, adds
=me back into the school day,
and assesses our progress in
advancing popular and
economic goals of educa=on.

Communica=ons Skills
MS Oce
Detail Oriented
Problem Solving
Self-Star=ng
Works Independently
Organiza=onal Skills
MS PowerPoint
Analy=cal Skills
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16%

WHAT

STANDS IN

OUR WAY?

STUDENT DATA PRIVACY

SECURING STUDENT DATA FREES US TO MOVE FORWARD

Source: Microsor.com

Large-scale reforms stall when talks

of student data privacy arise.

Developers/corpora=ons need access

to data for tools to be eec=ve.

Parents are concerned about breach

of sensi=ve student data.

Schools are ill-equipped to manage

data security.

CURRENT LEGISLATION
STUDENT DIGITAL PRIVACY AND
PARENTAL RIGHTS ACT

Speaker John A. Boehner, right, and Representa=ve Jared S. Polis (D-CO),

co-sponsor of the Student Digital Privacy and Parental Rights Act.
Credit Pablo Mar,nez Monsivais/Associated Press

Introduced to the House March 2015

Cri=cized for being toothless because:

Allows for loopholes

Makes schools responsible for

protec=on without considering
feasibility of new requirements

WHAT
CAN YOU

DO?

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

EDUCATORS AND PARENTS SHOULD HAVE A VOICE IN THE BILLS REVISIONS.

SIGN THE

PETITION.

FREE

STUDENTS

FROM THE TEST .

THANK

YOU.
K .

R H O D I E

E D W A R D S

RHODIE@GMAIL.COM

SIGN THE PETITION

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO SIGN THE PETITION