High‐Stakes Accountability in Social and Political Context: Skill Gains and Losses in the No Child Left Behind Era

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Argun Saatcioglu ◽  
Thomas M. Skrtic ◽  
Neal M. Kingston
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Political Context ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Gains And Losses

Are Students Left Behind? The Distributional Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Krieg
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Public School ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
High Ability ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Distributional Effects ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
High Ability Students

The No Child Left Behind Act imposes sanctions on schools if the fraction of students demonstrating proficiency on a high-stakes test falls below a statewide pass rate. While the motivation behind this system is improved public school performance, it also provides incentives for schools to focus educational resources on the marginal student rather than those on the tails of the ability distribution. Using statewide, student-level panel data, students on the tails of the ability distribution, especially high-ability students, are demonstrated to score below expectations if their school is in danger from No Child Left Behind sanctions.

Has NCLB Encouraged Educational Triage? Accountability and the Distribution of Achievement Gains

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Ballou ◽  
Matthew G. Springer
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Mathematics Achievement ◽  
Adequate Yearly Progress ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Achievement Gains ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
Reasonable Prospect ◽  
Identification Strategy

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has been criticized for encouraging schools to neglect students whose performance exceeds the proficiency threshold or lies so far below it that there is no reasonable prospect of closing the gap during the current year. We examine this hypothesis using longitudinal data from 2002–03 through 2005–06. Our identification strategy relies on the fact that as NCLB was phased in, states had some latitude in designating which grades were to count for purposes of a school making adequate yearly progress. We compare the mathematics achievement distribution in a grade before and after it became a high-stakes grade. We find in general no evidence that gains were concentrated on students near the proficiency standard at the expense of students scoring much lower, though there are inconsistent signs of a trade-off with students at the upper end of the distribution.

Assessing No Child Left Behind and the Rise of Neoliberal Education Policies

2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hursh
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Education Reforms ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Public Figures ◽  
Globalized Economy ◽  
To Receive

No Child Left Behind and other education reforms promoting high-stakes testing, accountability, and competitive markets continue to receive wide support from politicians and public figures. This support, the author suggests, has been achieved by situating education within neoliberal policies that argue that such reforms are necessary within an increasingly globalized economy, will increase academic achievement, and will close the achievement gap. However, the author offers preliminary data suggesting that the reforms are not achieving their stated goals. Consequently, educators need to question whether neoliberal approaches to education should replace the previously dominant social democratic approaches.

scholarly journals Cheating in the first, second, and third degree: Educators' responses to high-stakes testing

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Amrein-Beardsley ◽  
David C. Berliner ◽  
Sharon Rideau
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Testing Policies

Educators are under tremendous pressure to ensure that their students perform well on tests.  Unfortunately, this pressure has caused some educators to cheat.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of, and degrees to which, a sample of teachers in Arizona were aware of, or had themselves engaged in test-related cheating practices as a function of the high-stakes testing policies of No Child Left Behind. A near census sample of teachers was surveyed, with valid responses obtained from about 5 percent, totaling just over 3,000 teachers. In addition, one small convenience sample of teachers was interviewed, and another participated in a focus group. Data revealed that cheating occurs and that educators can be quite clever when doing so. But how one defines cheating makes it difficult to quantify the frequency with which educators engage in such practices. Our analysis thus required us to think about a taxonomy of cheating based on the definitions of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree offenses in the field of law. These categories were analyzed to help educators better define, and be more aware of others' and their own cheating practices, in an attempt to inform local testing policies and procedures.

Under Pressure: Job Security, Resource Allocation, and Productivity in Schools under No Child Left Behind

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall Reback ◽  
Jonah Rockoff ◽  
Heather L. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Job Security ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Passing Rates ◽  
Class Instruction ◽  
Specialist Teachers ◽  
Standardized Exams ◽  
Nclb Act

We conduct the first nationwide study of incentives under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which requires states to punish schools failing to meet target passing rates on students' standardized exams. States' idiosyncratic policies created variation in the risk of failure among very similar schools in different states, which we use to identify effects of accountability pressure. We find NCLB lowers teachers' perceptions of job security, shifts time towards specialist teachers in high-stakes subjects and away from whole-class instruction, and has positive or neutral effects on students' enjoyment of learning and achievement in reading, math, and science. (JEL H52, H75, I21, I28, J45)

High Stakes Testing: Issues, Implications, and Remedies for English Language Learners

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald W. Solórzano
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
High Stakes Tests

This article discusses the issues and implications of high stakes tests on English language learners (ELLs). As ELLs are being included in all high stakes assessments tied to accountability efforts (e.g., No Child Left Behind), it is crucial that issues related to the tests be critically evaluated relative to their use. In this case, academic achievement tests are analyzed relative to their norming samples and validity to determine their usefulness to ELLs. Also, commonly used language proficiency tests are examined relative to definitions of proficiency, technical quality, alignment with criteria for language classification and reclassification, and their academic predictive validity. Based on the synthesis of the literature, the author concludes that high stakes tests as currently constructed are inappropriate for ELLs, and most disturbing is their continued use for high stakes decisions that have adverse consequences. The author provides recommendations for addressing the issues related to high stakes tests and ELLs.

scholarly journals Background Variables, Levels of Aggregation, and Standardized Test Scores

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Sharon E. Paulson ◽  
Gregory J. Marchant
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
The Individual

This article examines the role of student demographic characteristics in standardized achievement test scores at both the individual level and aggregated at the state, district, school levels. For several data sets, the majority of the variance among states, districts, and schools was related to demographic characteristics. Where these background variables outside of the control of schools significantly affected averaged scores, and test scores result in high stakes consequences, benefits and sanctions may be inappropriately applied. Furthermore, disaggregating the data by race, SES, limited English, or other groupings ignores the significant confounding and cumulative effects of belonging to more than one disadvantaged group. With these approaches to evaluation being fundamental to the No Child Left Behind mandates, the danger of misinterpretation and inappropriate application of sanctions is substantial.

scholarly journals Niezamierzone skutki stosowania testów wysokiej stawki. Lekcja z amerykańskiej reformy NCLB

1970 ◽  
pp. 39-64
Author(s):  
Alicja Zawistowska
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Exit Exams ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Teaching Standards ◽  
Accountability Policy

Educational decision makers willingly draw on solutions adopted in other countries. It was also the case in Polish educational reform started in late 90s. Since the introduction of the reform, Poland joined countries whose educational system is divided into three levels, each ending with an exit exams and core curriculum is set to teaching standards. The exams seem to be the most important element of the Polish reform. While the designers of educational policies are often inspired by the experiences of other countries during the planning phase, they are less willing to learn from them when it comes to predicting outcomes of the reform. A good case to analyze potential consequences of high-stakes testing is United States, where standardized tests have been administered since the beginning of the era of mass education. In this paper I will analyze the effects of the last, most controversial federal reform, commonly known as No Child Left Behind introduced in 2002. Findings of the study might be used to predict potential unintended effects of using the high stakes tests for accountability policy. The article addresses the problem of test scores inflation as well as the factors which may accelerate it.

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