Wildemuth, Barbara M. (1984). Alternatives to Standardized Tests. ERIC Digest.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests Measurement and Evaluation Princeton NJ.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED286938
The use of standardized tests by schools is commonly criticized. The tests do not necessarily test what students have learned. They do not reveal what the student has achieved. Critics have further suggested that alternatives to standardized tests be developed and used for more effective student evaluation. Such alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments. This paper serves to give a synopsis of the aforementioned alternatives.
Herman, J. L. and Golan, S. (1991). Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers and Learning—Another Look. CSE Technical Report 334, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
This paper begins with a review of some past studies on the effects of standardized testing on schooling. It also summaries of the study's methodology and discusses the results. Finally, the implications of the study's findings for educational policy and research are reported.
Sunderman, G. L., Tracey, C.A., Kim, J. & Orfield, G. (2004). Listening to teachers:
Classroom realities and No Child Left Behind. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
While opinion surveys have limits as a source of policy guidance, teachers’ views are very important to the success of any educational reform, including NCLB. This research sought to get the views of teachers on the burning issues as they pertained to the No Child Left Behind legislation. The authors stress that the opinions as expressed by the teachers cannot be interpreted as defensive justifications of failure. The fact that teachers from two very different cities in two very different states that are three thousand miles apart often agree is noteworthy. It is the hope of the authors that that this report will help teachers to be heard as the debate over the law’s future continues.
Noulas, A.G., and Ketkar K.W. (1998). Efficient utilization of resources in public schools: a case study of New Jersey. Applied Economics, 30, 1299 - 1306
This study measures the efficiency of public schools for the state of New Jersey using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method; it also examines the effect of certain socio-economic factors on efficiency. Some of the findings include that the average efficiency for all schools is 81%. The wealthiest districts have an efficiency score of 88% while for the neediest districts the efficiency is 63%. However, when socio-economic factors are taken into consideration, the difference between the two groups becomes smaller.
Council of the Great City Schools. (2007). Raising Student Achievement in the Newark Public Schools. Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools
The Council’s instructional team was tasked with the responsibility of investigating possible ventures that can be undertaken in the view of raising student achievement in Newark Public Schools. They devised and presented a number of recommendations to improve the academic achievement of students. The proposals are built around strategies that have proven to be effective in raising performance in other major urban school systems. According to the council, there is little else in the research or in practical experience to suggest that strategies beyond those described here are likely to have much, if any, effect on student achievement. Governance and other changes in the overall organizational architecture of a school system have rarely been effective in boosting student attainment, despite all the press releases to the contrary. Such changes often have an immediate appeal to the press and some community leaders because they suggest more robust and aggressive action. But there is nothing to suggest that these governance measures have any effect on classroom practice or— ultimately—on student achievement.
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests Measurement and Evaluation Princeton NJ.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED286938
The use of standardized tests by schools is commonly criticized. The tests do not necessarily test what students have learned. They do not reveal what the student has achieved. Critics have further suggested that alternatives to standardized tests be developed and used for more effective student evaluation. Such alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments. This paper serves to give a synopsis of the aforementioned alternatives.
Herman, J. L. and Golan, S. (1991). Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers and Learning—Another Look. CSE Technical Report 334, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
This paper begins with a review of some past studies on the effects of standardized testing on schooling. It also summaries of the study's methodology and discusses the results. Finally, the implications of the study's findings for educational policy and research are reported.
Sunderman, G. L., Tracey, C.A., Kim, J. & Orfield, G. (2004). Listening to teachers:
Classroom realities and No Child Left Behind. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
While opinion surveys have limits as a source of policy guidance, teachers’ views are very important to the success of any educational reform, including NCLB. This research sought to get the views of teachers on the burning issues as they pertained to the No Child Left Behind legislation. The authors stress that the opinions as expressed by the teachers cannot be interpreted as defensive justifications of failure. The fact that teachers from two very different cities in two very different states that are three thousand miles apart often agree is noteworthy. It is the hope of the authors that that this report will help teachers to be heard as the debate over the law’s future continues.
Noulas, A.G., and Ketkar K.W. (1998). Efficient utilization of resources in public schools: a case study of New Jersey. Applied Economics, 30, 1299 - 1306
This study measures the efficiency of public schools for the state of New Jersey using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method; it also examines the effect of certain socio-economic factors on efficiency. Some of the findings include that the average efficiency for all schools is 81%. The wealthiest districts have an efficiency score of 88% while for the neediest districts the efficiency is 63%. However, when socio-economic factors are taken into consideration, the difference between the two groups becomes smaller.
Council of the Great City Schools. (2007). Raising Student Achievement in the Newark Public Schools. Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools
The Council’s instructional team was tasked with the responsibility of investigating possible ventures that can be undertaken in the view of raising student achievement in Newark Public Schools. They devised and presented a number of recommendations to improve the academic achievement of students. The proposals are built around strategies that have proven to be effective in raising performance in other major urban school systems. According to the council, there is little else in the research or in practical experience to suggest that strategies beyond those described here are likely to have much, if any, effect on student achievement. Governance and other changes in the overall organizational architecture of a school system have rarely been effective in boosting student attainment, despite all the press releases to the contrary. Such changes often have an immediate appeal to the press and some community leaders because they suggest more robust and aggressive action. But there is nothing to suggest that these governance measures have any effect on classroom practice or— ultimately—on student achievement.
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