 The Paradoxes of High Stakes Testing: How They Affect Students, Their Parents, Teachers, Principals, Schools, and Societyreviewed by Sharon L. Nichols — June 24, 2009  Title: The Paradoxes of High Stakes Testing: How They Affect Students, Their Parents, Teachers, Principals, Schools, and Society Author(s): George Madaus, Michael Russell, and Jennifer Higgins Publisher: Information Age Publishing, Charlotte ISBN: 1607520273, Pages: 264, Year: 2009 Search for book at Amazon.com Madaus, Russell, and Higgins provide an authoritative historical and contemporary account of the role, impact, and consequences of high-stakes testing—tests that are used to make decisions about people or institutions. Although some of the evidence they present is not new (e.g., that high-stakes testing narrows the curriculum or changes how teachers teach), their contextualization of high-stakes testing from an historical viewpoint offers a fresh and much needed perspective on the evolution and impact of high-stakes testing in society. The authors’ primary argument is that the practice of high-stakes testing presents an inherent paradox. As one example of this, they argue that high-stakes testing may increase student motivation and learning or improve teaching among some, while they erode it for others. Consequently, if we are to use high-stakes testing as a lever for school reform, they ask us to consider how we might “accentuate the positive” while we simultaneously, “eliminate” these... (preview truncated at 150 words.) To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropropriate membership. Please review your options below:
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