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NASP Position Statement on Using Large Scale Assessment on 2009-07-04
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NASP notes that students with disabilities, students from disadvantaged
backgrounds and students who do not speak English as a first language have
struggled to overcome low educational expectations for some time
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NASP is concerned by the potential for unintended negative outcomes of large
scale assessment applied to both systemic and individual student decisions
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Furthermore, NASP strongly opposes the use of large-scale testing as the sole
determinant for making critical, high stakes decisions about individual
students and educational systems, including access to educational opportunity,
retention or promotion, graduation or receipt of a diploma.
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different stakeholders want assessments to meet a variety of needs--educators
want test results to inform instruction; taxpayers want to know that the money
they spend translates into student learning; governors want assurances that
their students are achieving at a level similar to or better than students in
other states.
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Yet, NASP and other experts acknowledge that tests should be designed for the
specific purpose that they are intended to serve and for the
population that they will measure (National Research Council,
1999). While some states have tried to meet the demands for accountability
by modifying existing large scale assessments or developing new tests, many
other states continue to use single tests for multiple purposes of system
accountability, school improvement, and measurement of individual student or
group performance, regardless of their intended use and inherent limitations.
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1) Use of a single test score in making promotion/retention
decisions. NASP and test development experts agree that it is not
appropriate to use performance on a single test (or composite test battery) for
making high-stakes decisions for individuals
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Extensive research over many years indicates that student achievement rarely
improves when repeating a grade and, further, demonstrates a strong relationship
between retention and increased dropout rates.
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multiple administrations of the same type of measure do not improve the
reliability of the scores or reduce the general limitations of such testing.
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Use of test performance as a basis for systems level rewards and sanctions
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by dramatically narrowing the curriculum to emphasize test content and
encouraging the use of generally inappropriate "quick fix" approaches to student
learning.
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Tests should inform instruction, not dictate what is taught.
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Measuring effectiveness of instruction across schools or over time is severely
compromised with highly mobile populations.
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how reliably these accommodations were implemented, and if accommodations were
provided across all testing situations. The interpretation of test data may be
unreliable when accommodation practices are inconsistent.
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Myriad factors can impact the performance of any one student at a single point
in time, significantly reducing the reliability of test scores. Therefore
decisions regarding the promotion, graduation, placement or referral of
individual students should be based on multiple sources of individually obtained
data rather than the results of large scale assessment.
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If an assessment is to be used as part of a high stakes decision (e.g.,
promotion, graduation), the test content must be aligned to curriculum and
instruction. Students must have adequate opportunity to learn the material
covered by the test.
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It is the position of the National Association of School Psychologists that
standards-based tests be used as global indicators of student and program
progress, and to highlight the need for additional resources, not to determine
educational placement or graduation eligibility for an individual child, or to
establish rewards or sanctions for any personnel, school or district.
Policymakers are urged to carefully monitor and evaluate the actual consequences
of large-scale assessment programs and to implement essential guidelines for the
development and application of these accountability systems.
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DDDM on 2009-06-20
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Math247 / 7MG2-1 on 2009-03-27
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Jefcoed - Student Services on 2009-03-21
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iGoogle on 2009-03-20
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EDTECH: Focus On K-12 - Blog Rules on 2009-03-18
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Real Life Stories on 2009-03-18
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EDU5505EA SP09: Session Five on 2009-03-18
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EDTECH: Focus On K-12 - AUPs in a Web 2.0 World on 2009-03-18
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Web 2.0 Booklet: Podcasting in Peoria: How is podcasting being used in one school district on 2009-03-04
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