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This article has been retrieved
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November 20, 2006
Volume 14 Number 30
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November 20, 2006
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ISSN 1068-2341
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Relationships between High-Stakes Testing Policies and
Student Achievement
after Controlling for
Demographic Factors in Aggregated Data
Gregory J. Marchant
Sharon E. Paulson
Adam Shunk
Ball State University
Citation: Marchant, G. J., Paulson, S. E., & Shunk, A. (2006). Relationships
between high-stakes testing policies and student achievement after
controlling for demographic factors in aggregated data. Education Policy
Analysis Archives, 14(30). Retrieved [date] from
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v14n30/.
Abstract
With the mandate of No Child Left Behind, high-stakes achievement testing is
firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the
effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed
results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each
NAEP testing period in reading, writing, mathematics, and science from 1992
through 2002, in an effort to examine the relation of high-stakes testing
policies to achievement and changes in achievement between testing periods.
As expected, demographic characteristics and their changes were related
significantly to most achievement outcomes, but high-stakes testing policies
demonstrated few relationships with achievement. The few relationships
between high-stakes testing and achievement or improvement in reading,
writing, or science tended to appear only when demographic data were
missing; and the minimal relationships with math achievement were consistent
with findings in previous research. Considering the cost and potential
unintended negative consequences, high-stakes testing policies seem to
provide a questionable means of improving student learning.
Keywords: high-stakes tests; national competency tests; evaluation;
educational policy; academic standards.
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