Civic Report No. 33 February 2003 Testing High Stakes Tests: Can We Believe the Results of Accountability Tests? WHAT THE PRESS SAID Study supports standard exams Arizona Republic, AZ - Jul 10, 2004 New Ammunition for Backers of Do-or-Die Exams by Greg Winters, New York Times, 4-23-03 High-Stakes  Tests Called Accurate Gauge of Performance Education Week, 2-19-03 (registration  required) High Stakes OK Human Events, 2-17-03 FCAT: Why teaching to the test isn't necessarily a bad thing Tallahassee Democrat,  2-19-03 Study supports FCAT objective Gainesville Sun, 2-16-03 Proficiency test: Valuable tools Cincinnati Enquirer,  2-16-03 Study finds MCAS an accurate gauge Boston Globe, 2-16-03 'High-Stakes' Exams Can Be on the Mark The Oklahoman, 2-14-03 Experts differ about high-stakes testing United Press International, 2-13-03 ELC Applauds Manhattan Institute Report Confirming Effectiveness of Testing Education Leaders Council Press Release 2-12-03 Does FCAT Pass The Test? Jay P. Greene, Marcus A. Winters, The Tampa Tribune, 2-12-03 FCAT gets  high marks in measuring achievement Miami Herald, 2-12-03 Study: FCAT  'accurate measure' for schools Tallassee Democrat, 2-12-03 TAKS can measure progress, study says El Paso Times, 2-12-03 Study says state tests still reliable The Toledo Blade, 2-12-03 Study rates Florida first in school tests: Va., other areas lagging behind Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2-12-03 New Report Confirms Accountability Tests are Powerful Tool in Ensuring Students Are Not Left Behind U.S. House Committee on Education and the workforce, 2-11-03 What Every Student Needs to Know: Does school testing make the grade? Jay P. Greene, Marcus A. Winters, San Francisco Chronicle,  2-11-03 Graduation looming, MCAS foes appeal to Beacon Hill Boston Herald, 2-11-03 Study shows  FCAT compares well: Group says test accurate measure of learning Florida Today, 2-11-03 Education: Teach the Test The Florida Times-Union, 2-11-03 Study  praises FCAT as indicator of learning Orlando Sentinel, 2-11-03

EMAIL THIS | PRINTER FRIENDLY CR 33 PDF (77 kb) WHAT THE PRESS SAID SUMMARY: This report examines whether "high stakes" tests can effectively measure students' academic proficiency. It finds that, contrary to the assertion by critics that schools would merely "teach to the test," improving the results without increasing real learning, high stakes tests generally provide reliable information on students actual academic performance. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Executive Summary About the Authors Acknowledgements Introduction A Variety of Testing Policies Previous Research Method Results Conclusion Appendix Table 1: Average Correlations Table 2: Florida Table 3: Virginia Table 4: Chicago, IL Table 5: Boston, MA Table 6: Toledo, OH Table 7: Blue Valley, KS Table 8: Columbia, MO Table 9: Fairfield, OH Table 10: Fountain Fort Carson, CO References Endnotes