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testing school cultures dominated by high-stakes tests are creating more and more reluctant learners sharon l nichols and david c berliner s ince the passage of no child left behind nclb students have been exposed to an unprecedented numberof tests eveta year in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school irtually all public school students take tests in math and reading and soon science students also take regular benchmark tests supposedly to predict performance on the mandated tests and district assessments throughout the school year the time spent talking about preparing for and taking tests has increased exponentially what bas all this testing achieved five years after nclb v as enacted tbere is no convincing evidence that student learning has increased in any significant way on tests otber than the slates ovm tests on measures sucb as the national assessment of educational progress naep no reliable increases in scores have occurred nor bave acblevement gaps between students of higher and lower socioeconomic classes narrowed · in contrast a wealth of documentadon indicates that tbe unintended and largely negative effects of bigh-stakes testing are pervasive and a cause for concern {see jones jones hargrove 2003 orfield komhaber 2001 tn our own research we have documented hundreds of cases in which bigh-stakes testing bas banned teaching and learning nicbols berliner 2007 for example high-stakes testing bas been associated witb suspicious forms of data manipulation as well as outright cheating tbe tests undermine teacherstudent relalionsbips lead to a narrowing of tbe curriculum demoralize teacbers and bore students research bas not fully examined tbe impact of tbis testdominated scbool environment on students attitudes and dispositions toward learning but we suspect ibat for most students scbooling is less joyful ihan it was and for reluctant learners schooling is worse than ever overvaluing testing undervaluing learning from the mouvation luerature we know tbat learners are more likely to enjoy learning when activities are meaningful fun or interesting yet again and again higb-stakes testing dlminisbcs the 14 educational leatiriisiin m hcji 200h

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i out of learning we also know ihat students are more hardworking and persistent when they perceive the purpose of learning as self-improvement or achievement of personal goals yet a higb-stakes lesiing climate sends a message that the primary purpose of learning is to score well on the test sometimes leaching to the test is blatanl as when teachers assign daily worksheets taken from released older versions of the test sometimes it is less obvious as when instruction is based on the specific information that will be on the test one teacher explains i m leaching more tesl-taking skills and how to use your time wisely also what to look for in a piece of literature and how to underline important details rhere is a lot more ume spent on teaching those kinds of skills read quesiions restate the question in your answer write so the person grading the test can read it etc taylor et al 2003 p 39 as a result of the overvaluing of test results the curriculum has narrowed all across the united states tbe time devoted to untested subjects like art music and social studies has been reduced or eliminated completely so that schools can teach more math reading writing and now science for example in kansas in 2006 high school freshmen were required to double dose their english classes instead of participating in electives in a california middle school students were required to take two periods of all core subjects and funding was dropped for music spanish art and classes in the trades and industrial design zastrow jane 2006 curriculum the time spent talking about preparing for and taking tests has increased exponentially fun and meaning of learning under pressure to prepare students lo perform well in math and reading teachers engage in repetitious instruction that boils down content lo isolated bits of information leaving little time to engage in creative inierdisciplinary activities or project-based inquiry one colorado teacher reports our district told us to focus on reading writing and mathematics in the past i had hatched out baby chicks in the classroom as part ol ihe science unii 1 don t have time to do thai we don t do community outreach like we used to like visiting the nursing home or cleaning up the park that we had adopted taylor shepard ktnncr rosenthal 2ai3 p 51 association for supervision and 15

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in 2006 the bill and melinda gates foundation released a report on the reasons students drop out of scbool bridgeland dilulio morison 2006 in tbis small survey of students who bad already dropped out 47 percent reported that school was uninteresting about 70 percent commented tbat tbey didn t feel mspired at scbool for such reluctant learners the increased test preparation and narrower curriculum resulting from bigh-stakes testing exacerbates tbe problem faced witb an increasingly disjointed decontextualized curriculum many become actively disengaged otbers simply leave before test time the principal brings students together to sing songs ibat will inspire tbem before and during the test some songs included i m a believer and i ve been working on my writing toy 2006 bulletin boards posters and daily mantras constitute additional forms of explicit empbasis on tbe importance of tests clicbed slogans often appear on posters and banners tbrougbout the scbool messages like take us to exemplary are pervasive in many texas scbools wben teachers report that most of their time is spent preparing for tbe test bigbly as tbeir better-performing peers sadly some teacbers and principals bave done all sorts of unprofessional things to ensure that test-score suppressors either pass because of rigorous test-prep activities or even more questionable tneans or are dropped from testing altogether for example more than 500 low-scoring students in binningham alabama were administratively dropped from school just days before state testing orel 2003 scores rose principals received substantial bonuses and bundrcds of students bad tbeir lives made infinitely more difficult in the process sucb actions belp to transform slow learners chronic failure is demeaning causing many otherwise highly engaged students to give up drop out or become increasingly cynical about schooling i pledge allegiance to thetest a disturbing phenomenon popping up in more and more u.s schools is tbe prevalence of scboolwide pep rallies ice cream socials and other peculiar events meant to motivate students to do well on tbe state-mandated test for example one texas high scbooi held a rally for parents teachers and students during which tbe principal informed parents of tbe importance of the texas assessment of knowledge and skills taks and compared it to a marathon in which students need endurance he was not subtle wben be said this is tbe test of your lives this speech was followed by a class pledge in which students promised to pass tbe test and take parker high school to the top and lead us to exemplary foster 2006 this is not an isolated incident in one new york scbool every spring just 16 educational when we go into scboois and find bundreds of posters related to tbe upcoming test when we bear of scbools witb daily announcements about the test standard of the day and wben students tell us tbat not a day goes by v-ithout mention of the test we can be preity sure tbat the test bas become tbe primary focus for learning marginalizing youth high-stakes tesung encourages teacbers to view students not in terms of their potential or wbat unique or new qualities they bring to the learning environment but ratber as test-score increasers or suppressors students quickly pick tbis up and realize tbey are defined as winners or losers on the basis of their test scores test-score suppressors receive the clear message ibat tbey are not valued as into reluctant learners compounding their problems in school issues associated witb test score suppressors are exacerbated in states where bigb scbool students bave to pass a test to receive a diploma hundreds of students are dropping out or opting to take tbe ged route mainly because passing the test has become an insurmountable obstacle to tbem tbis is especially true for special education students and englisb language leamers ells tbousands try as bard as they can but cannot pass the test despite meeting all other graduation requirements chronic failure is demeaning causing many otberwise bigbly engaged students to give up drop out or become increasingly cynical about scbooting tbe bigh-stakes testing culture communicates to students tbat tbeir other abilities are of no value outstanding talent 2008

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in dance welding art knowledge of the u.s civil war computer programming consensus building in small groups foreign languages acting and so forth count for little even students who score high may become less motivated as a result of the high-stakes testing culture these testscore increasers often feel ustid for example when they are pressured to take the test even when they are sick as a resull they may adopt cynical attitudes about the purpose of being in school as one student points out the taks is a big joke this is the easiest test you could ever lake imean forget logarithms and algebra forget knowing about government and the bill of rights instead we read a two-page story and then answer 11 short questions about it such as what was the meaning of the wordjudie in paragraph two a generous b deceptive c useless and d applesauce teen talk 2007 test months later and live with the disappointment all your life its not fair teen talk 2007 others find tbe tests debumanizing and feel angry about the narrow curriculum being forced on them they worr that tbeir schooling ignores other aspects of ibeir lives an 1 lib grade student writes in texas many public school dislricts bave found raising their standardized testing averages to be tbe no 1 goal of classroom curriculum consequently school is no longer a forum where students can discuss the effects of alcohol or tbe best method to achieve a life filled with value and pleasure or the simple antics of their daily life teen talk 2007 the pressure to achieve is highest in high-poverty schools because they are most likely to be shut down or reconsolidaied under nclb there the score suppressors are often force-fed a daily curriculum that includes bits of information devoid of any connection to tbeir real iives foster 2006 talking wilb latino students attending a high-poverty high school heard we learn in isolation we leam one skill one day or in a week and then we never see it again until test time p 143 another latino student in the same school commented 1 was written up and sent to the office because 1 didn t wani to do a taks assignment i was told in ibe oflice tbat i had to do it because it was important that 1 pass this test 1 atn tired of doing taks taks taks i am not learning anything foster 2006 p 144 especially revealing are the following excerpts from a transcript of one teachers attempt to motivate her 16 latino 11th graders tbe teacher bad just handed out an essay similar to those tbat would be on tbe upcoming state test her goal was to motivate and inspire students to perform well on tbe lest but students were savvy about what was happening ok this is last-minute work for taks you can pass the test you don t want to take it again right teacher learners weigh in ^a hc many studeiiis see education as punitive and uninteresting and when they have their abilities narrowly defined by a single test score the potential for irreparable and damaging consequences is high for students who struggle academically htgh-stakes testing can diminish their sense of sell worth leading to decreased motivation to do well in school and for students who see tbe tests as an easy rite of passage a school culture formed around highstakes testing is boring and unconnected thus high-stakes testing cultures build reluctant learners out of even these academically talented students how do we know ibis tbe voices of youth are pretty clear they understand ihe exaggerated importance cf tests in ibeir lives and it frustrates them a 12th writes students teachers as well focus on only the taks its almost as if they have been given an ultimaium either p£.ss the lest and get the ticket out of there or pass the students no response teacher please say yes students no response are brilliant the test is not hard take your time in fact take all the time you need teacher you 17 association for suphrvimon ano curriculum development

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students no respome teacher ok there will bt three types of open-ended questions and three types of literary seleciions what does literary mean students no response teacher is it fiction nonfiction or biography s ltjdents no response teacher are you going to talk to me or you don t know stlidents nti response a high-stakes testing climate sends a message that the primary purpose of learning is to score well on the test presenting classroom projects to tbe town council writing poetry essays or a play and so fortb schools need lo reward demonstrations of learning in all its varieties aditiinistrators and teachers should work together to reframe the purposes of learning in their school as a start elittiinate tbe word test from any banner poster or encouraging slogan instead use language tbat focuses on mastering knowledge improving indi idual performance or seeing tbe value of schooling for enhancing one s future in addition teachers and administrators should strive to create a climate of caring and cooperation instead of competition we know that students are more likely to attend scbool and excel when they feel they belong feelings of connection lead to greater effort greater persistence and positive attitudes feelings of rejection bave tbe opposite effects significant changes in nclb are unlikely to occur soon this law bas not only exacerbated the problems of reluctant learners already in our schools but also manufactured additional reluctant leamcrs for tbe schools to deal vvith it is up to administrators and teachers to mitigate the damaging effects of this untenable law on many of our students by proactively working to diminish the importance of bigb-stakes testing in schools 10 references bridgeland,j m dilulio,j j &r morison k b 2006 the silent epidemic perspeclives oj iiigli school dropouts wasbington dc civic enterprises available www civicenterprises.net/pdfs/tbesi lent epidemic3-06.pdl foster s l 2006 how imtino sllidenis negotiate the demands oj high-stakes lesling a case study of one school in texas unpublished doctoral dissertation arizona state university tempe jones m c jones b hargrove t 2003 the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing bmbain md rowman and littlefield nichols s l berliner d c 2007 collateral damage how high-stakes testing conupis america s schools cambridge ma harvard fducation press orel s 2003 left behind in birmingbam 522 pushed-out students in r c lent si g pipkin lids siknt no more voices of courage in american schools pp 1-14 portsmouth nh heinemann orfield g kornhaber m l eds 2001 raising standards or raising harners inequalily and high stakes testing in public education new york century foundation press teen taik tackling taks 2007 marcb 9 san anlonio bxpress-ncws pp fl 5 available www.mysanantonio.convsalife /ieenteam/stories/mysa030907.01rtaks llxllochtml taylor g shepard l kinner e 6 rosenthal j 2003 a survey of teachers perspectives an high-slakes testing in colorado wiitk gets taught what gets lost csf technical report 588 los angeles university of calilomia toy v 2006 january 1 elmontfe scbool success is a lesson to others new york times sec 14li p 1 zastrow c &janc h 2006 the condition of the liberal arts in america s pubhc schools a report to the carnegie corporation of new york washington dc council lor basic education teacher in an angry voice it s fiction you all puh.sf first thing you do is answer tbe question it must be insightful and thoughtful do not restate the question you have five lines to fill in then you have to support a response if you summarize in an open-ended question you get a zero but if you use suppon for the passage you get points look at this essay do you see how this student used textual suppon students no response teacher in an angry voice come on students no response foster 2006 pp 155-158 and on it goes another exciting day at scbool marked only by passive resistance to what students accurately perceive to be an inferior and boring education what can we do high-stakes tests are not likely to go away but schools can and should try to minimize their harmtul eifects schools should at least refrain from engaging tn test-prep rallies ice cream socials or social events that focus specifically on tbe test sucb activities only reinforce the impression that the test is tbe primary goal of schooling if schools want to bold such events to create a sense of community tbey might simply rename the events to emphasize learning not testing for example a rally for learning of course tbe learning celebrated has to be genuine completing outstanding science fair projects sharon l nichols is assistant professor college of education and human development tjniversity of texas at san antonio sharon.nichols@utsa.edu david c berliner is regents professor mary lou fulton college of education arizona state university tempe berliner@asu.edu 18 hducational leai f h s h p m a r ch 2 0 0 8

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