Activity 3: High Stakes Assessments

High stakes assessments have high potential but can also have high consequences.  Some assessments can be related to knowledge that important decisions or consequences can affect your life.  University entrance exams, employment, oversea studies, etc. can all be life changing assessments that you should do well on, in order to get what you are aiming for.

 In my life, I was never the smartest student in class but I did work hard.  I did well in high school but when I went to university, it was a whole new ball game.  I was never good at mathematics and all business students had to take BUS 101.  My major was business marketing, so I tried to avoid math as much as possible.  I was sooooooooooooooooooo close to failing BUS 101, but thank the Buddhas I passed and I could face my parents and sleep well at night. It was a core subject and you must pass it in order to move onto year 2.  There were many students who were not so fortunate; and so, they had to drop out or switch majors.  I’ve read about some students in Asian countries around the world take it too seriously and fail; eventually, leading to committing suicide. 

I will compare 2 schools that I have taught in:

CDI Language Institute, Seoul, South Korea.  A huge English language franchise all over the city.  Most of the curriculum was to help students improve their English levels in all areas and best prepare them for their school tests. 

My clinical practice is at BGY country garden school, Guangdong, China.  An international school with over 5000 students ranging from kindergarten to high school.   I have worked in elementary in both places. 

1.How much time is spent in testing?

Formative assessments weekly, and summative assessments are once every unit topic. 

2. Are teachers teaching to the test?

At CDI, yes.  But teachers also help students with other areas as best as possible.

At BGY, yes and no because it is an IB school and we teach everything in the UOI, unit of inquiry.  Teachers will also spend time with students in other language areas. 

3. Are rewards or bonuses given to teachers whose students score high?

At CDI, it was more like a business and wanted to enroll as many students as possible.  Probably because it was a private language school.  If there were many students, the teacher would receive a renewed contract, but if there were students dropping out of your classes, then you better start looking for another job. 

At BGY, there are at least 25 students in your class regardless.  Teachers will receive a bonus at the end of the year; also, the school will renew your contract if you have performed well during the school year. 

4. Are students required to pass the test to move to the next grade or graduate?

At CDI, it was more like a formative assessment and a multiple choice summative assessment which is not too difficult. 

At BGY, they are required to pass the summative test in order to move onto the next grade.  If however, the student receives a “D”, then he/she will still be promoted but will move into a selected class with other students of the same English skill level. 

5. How are students handling increasing pressures to perform?

Both of my school students handled pressure pretty well.  At CDI, it was after hour classes and the teachers would help them as best as possible.  At BGY, there are lots of preparation time and a whole review week for elementary school students to focus. 

6. Are test scores used for teacher evaluations?

Both schools would be a yes.  The test scores would evaluate where the student is at and where he/she would be placed for the next term. 

Advantages

-         Standardized content and important for every student

-         Tests are reliable, fair, and measurable

-         Tests will help teachers assess and evaluate where the student is at

-         If it’s a common core state standard test, then the district, state, or nation will know or benchmark where the student is at, the school as well.

Disadvantages

-         Standard test cannot accurately assess the students skills in detail if it was a multiple choice exam

-         These tests would limit the teachers creative thinking and test making process, only focus on what is required by the school

-         Create major stress and anxiety for students everywhere

-         Making students believe that passing these tests is a must in order to be successful in life

-         Some tests are not necessary but some schools, states, or countries do it anyway for profit from private organizations or tutoring businesses. 

High stakes assessments does have their pros and cons, if the school requires me to do these assessments, I’m fine with it.  But I will also make my own formative tests so that I can enhance my students’ individual skills as well.   

 Still waiting for other cohorts to post their work, so that I can review it.

Will update in the future.