United Kingdom
High-stakes testing
While a state's high-stakes test may show increased scores, there is little support in these data that such increases are anything but the result of test preparation or the exclusion of students from the testing process
The latest results of key stage 3 tests show that English pupils continue to improve in English and science. Yet paradoxically, the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests in the same subjects show a systematic decline.
One explanation is that the national curriculum-based tests are a better reflection of pupils' achievements than the broader competences of the international tests. An alternative view is that the English "high-stakes" testing regime (a term borrowed from the US to describe tests that have significant repercussions for pupils, teachers or schools) has conditioned teachers to teach to the test, endlessly rehearse pupils and, of necessity, relegate their most imaginative teaching to whatever time is left over. If this interpretation is correct, it suggests that many of the reforms introduced by recent governments might be counterproductive.
Sourced from: The Guardian
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