Collateral Damage: How High-stakes Testing Corrupts America's SchoolsDrawing on their extensive research, Nichols and Berliner document and categorize the ways that high-stakes testing threatens the purposes and ideals of the American education system. For more than a decade, the debate over high-stakes testing has dominated the field of education. This passionate and provocative book provides a fresh perspective on the issue and powerful ammunition for opponents of high-stakes tests. Their analysis is grounded in the application of Campbell's Law, which posits that the greater the social consequences associated with a quantitative indicator (such as test scores), the more likely it is that the indicator itself will become corrupted--and the more likely it is that the use of the indicator will corrupt the social processes it was intended to monitor. Nichols and Berliner illustrate both aspects of this "corruption," showing how the pressures of high-stakes testing erode the validity of test scores and distort the integrity of the education system. Their analysis provides a coherent and comprehensive intellectual framework for the wide-ranging arguments against high-stakes testing, while putting a compelling human face on the data marshalled in support of those arguments. |
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Brings up some interesting points with lots of specific examples through the nation about the negatives of high-stakes testing. However, it is so ridiculously one sided and seems almost as though they want to trick the reader, even though I would imagine most readers would already be against high-stakes testing. Vague awful examples are given that make you want to take pity on each individual until you realize that there are many more sides of the story not being represented. The book, for all of it's grievous complaining, provides only a few suggestions at the end of the book about what could be fixed.
Contents
The Prevalence and Many Forms of Cheating and | 33 |
Excluding Students from Education by Design and | 57 |
States Cheat Too How Statistical Trickery | 79 |
Copyright | |
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academic accountability achievement acts actually administrators American answers Arizona asked assessment associated become believe better cheating child concern construct corrupted course curriculum decisions dents designed district dropout Education effects English errors evidence exam example expected failed forms give given grade graduation high school high-stakes testing important improve increased indicator instruction judged kids kind knowledge learning Left less look math means measure ment minority motivation NCLB parents pass percent performance Policy poor practice preparation Press pressure principal problem produced profession professional proficiency programs questions Raising rates reading reason receive Research response seems showed skills social stakes standardized tests standards stories teachers teaching test scores Texas things tion University validity writing York
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Collateral Damage: How High-stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools |
| Authors | Sharon Lynn Nichols, David C. Berliner |
| Edition | 2, reprint |
| Publisher | Harvard Education Press, 2007 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | Nov 3, 2008 |
| ISBN | 1891792350, 9781891792359 |
| Length | 234 pages |
| Subjects | › Education / Testing & Measurement |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |