This project allowed me to delve into a specific subject that was not only foreign, but also relevant to today’s debates on education. My research topic focused on high-stakes testing, emphasizing the multitude of reasons both for and against the continuation of these kinds of assessments in the public school realm. My initial research found that a large number of students, teachers, parents and schools opposed the distribution of these tests for reasons as diverse as causing curriculums to be narrowed down, teachers teaching to the test, school funding based on test scores, and increased anxiety and stress put on students. Those who advocate for these tests are primarily state and federal governments who believe it makes teachers and schools accountable by providing data on the performance of the schools and students. Given the numerous grassroots organizations and individuals wanting to stop these tests, I decided to present both sides of the debate, but for my website, I presented information primarily for the opposition. Throughout the duration of this project, I gained in-depth knowledge about my topic of high-stakes testing, the grassroots organizations springing up around these tests, and how the tests connect to urban education.
Prior to beginning this project, I was unable to differentiate a grassroots website from impersonators, and I had no idea who organized and participated in these groups. However, my lack of knowledge was not a disadvantage, but rather an advantage, because I became more involved in the process of filtering out the fake websites from the actual grassroots movements’ sites. I also learned that many grassroots organizations are not just advocating or opposing one topic, but may be rallying people around a multitude of issues (charter schools, privatization, school funding and prison to pipeline), each of which can be addressed by creating protests, boycotts, hosting meetings, putting up posters, establishing petitions, educating people through platforms such as social media, or encouraging people to vote a specific way in elections. Regardless of the strategies implemented, it was encouraging to read that the people focused on stopping high-stakes testing in schools were not just teachers or school administrators, but also students and parents affected by the tests. The diverse ages and professions of the group participants fascinated me; in my opinion, the optimal way to get the attention of both local and federal politicians is to incorporate people from all backgrounds in order to strengthen your position. I was also able to study a range of grassroots organizations at different stages, from those in the process of forming, to those that had been established for several years, had thousands of followers and partnerships with national organizations. The earlier-stage organizations showed me what the founders thought was the most prevalent information to present to people, such as basic information pertaining to their group, why they formed, where they were located, and the group’s mission. Those that have been around for a while incorporated pictures of the group’s history, used social media to spread the message, and had partnerships with national organizations.
My research on grassroots organizing also taught me about my topic of high-stakes testing. For example, some states have created policies pertaining to the rights of parents to opt their children out of these tests, while other states have no such policies. This particular aspect of the project was fascinating, because in most cases, the parents have the right to decide if their children are going to participate in the testing process; but in Illinois and New York, the children are given sole power over whether they refuse to take the test. This is a particularly interesting policy because the students involved in this decision are in 3-8th and 10-12th, grade, meaning that these students’ ages range from 8-18. That’s a big decision to be made regardless of age, but particularly so for a third grader, who may not fully understand the rationale for taking or not taking the test. I also discovered that the websites were informative in the sense that they had performed research pertaining to these policies, and had established steps that informed parents of their rights and how to opt their children out of these tests. For the states that lack policies allowing students to refuse the test, many of the organizations had a digitalized petition for parents to sign that would be turned into the government. Lastly, I learned the history behind the creation of high-stakes testing in the United States, as well as the impact that policies such as “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) have had on the implementation and expansion of these tests. It is my opinion that in order to fully understand this topic, it is important to learn why high-stakes testing has spread in the United States and the rationale behind policies like NCLB. Only then can you get a more well-rounded perspective of the topic and determine if the initial mission of the policy is being met by the tests.
In conclusion, my research on high-stakes testing is connected directly to urban education because many of these schools are in areas with impoverished populations where school funding is designated through property taxes. This scenario results in under-resourced facilities and less qualified teachers in those areas. The lack of resources and qualified teachers then causes a Catch-22 in that it likely produces lower test results, which in turn cuts government funding, and therefore perpetuates the continuation of the cycle. Also, high-stakes tests result in narrower curriculums. When curriculums are narrowed, the subjects taught to students are only those that will be on the tests; therefore, the arts, gym and technology are just some of the classes that are de-emphasized. This process is detrimental to students because they are not provided with the well-rounded education they need to become successful in the future. The increased emphasis on testing has put more pressure on students to perform well. This additional pressure on top of the already pressured environment to perform well could result in students becoming frustrated and under-motivated. If students are under-motivated in class, they could fall behind and possibly score poorly on the test. When a student underperforms and does not meet a standard score, the school has the jurisdiction to hold the student back, and if the student was already frustrated and unmotivated, they might drop out of school, at which point the school system has certainly failed that student.
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Teacher protest in Chicago (2013)