Standardized tests, in Ravitch's opinion, aid teachers in recognizing and addressing the requirements of their students. These assessments offer insightful comments on particular students. She does not, however, accept the exams as a reliable, scientific indicator of academic performance. The results of standardized exams with high stakes lead to cheating, so they are not a good indicator of a student's progress.
Test results do not accurately reflect a student's scholastic performance. The reason why a student's position on a class exam occasionally changes is because some students receive higher scores than others who may have knowledge that is more extensive than theirs. Tests help teachers identify and address areas where students need help. However, overemphasis on standardized tests to measure students' achievement has resulted in instances of cheating and in worst cases demoralizing students who do not perform well, these students develop low self-esteem and take themselves as losers. Therefore, the use of standardized tests to gauge students' academic achieving is a goofed approach.
According to Ravitch, does testing make students smarter? Does it reduce achievement gaps? Explain?
Testing does not make students smarter especially if the tests are used to measure students' academic ability. On the other hand, testing could improve performance if the test is prepared by a class teacher who in return uses the results to identify students who need help on specific topics. The tests may also prompt the teacher to change his way of teaching to ensure that all students understand.
Testing does not reduce achievement gaps among students. In fact, some tests create a gap among students. Poverty contributes to low academic achievement. Apparently good grades in SATs is associated with students from wealthy families. Ravitch affirms that if achievement gaps have to be reduced among students, then schools attended by African- American and Hispanic students should have a stable and experienced staff, social services, rich curriculum, after-school curriculum, and abundant resources to meet their needs.
According to Ravitch, is there a correlation between international test score rankings and a nation's economy? Describe her views on this.
According to Ravitch, there is no relation between test scores and the economy. In the past, American students have performed poorly in international tests, yet the state has remained a leading economy. She accredits poor performance in international tests to failure in the public policy, overemphasis on test scores has ruined academic progress in America. She advocates for improvement in the quality of life for students living in poverty to increase their academic performance.
Ravitch argues that tests only measure whether students can answer questions correctly. Therefore, the scores do not tell us about the students' drive, imagination, insight, and inventiveness, ability to ask questions or their creativity. She encourages creativity, good character, can-do spirit, persistence, ambition, big dreams, and hard work, none of which are measurable through tests.
According to Ravitch, what are the consequences of this focus on testing? Did it produce more learning?
Focus on testing has destroyed American Republic education. No Child Left Behind, started by President Obama focused on test scores on standardized tests where schools that performed poorly over the years were reconstructed, shut down or replaced. Closure of schools commonly happened in poor communities where children have high needs as they come from difficult circumstances. This approach did more harm than justice. Poorly performing schools needed, competitive teachers and adequate learning facilities to improve their performance.
Emphasis on testing did not produce more learning (Ravitch 25). According to Ravitch, standardized tests do not adequately show the academic ability of a student. Testing does not improve education unless the test is prepared by the same teacher who teaches a class and uses the results to identify and address areas where students need help.
According to Ravitch, what two different reform movements did NCLB Unite? Explain?
No child left behind was an educational reform movement, other times referred to as the Texas plan by President Bush. This plan held that if you test kids yearly, hold people accountable, and everybody will make progress. This reform unites the Obama's Race to the Top reform where the government offered grants to schools that performed well on standardized tests and reconstructed or closed schools that performed poorly in those tests. This reform unites with the standardized tests reforms in what closely resembles No Child Left Behind reform.
Both reforms focus the attention of students, teachers, and parents on a single item which is test scores. These misleading changes have promoted poor academic performance and created a gap between children from different social classes and communities. Ravitch blames the American Educational reformers for putting their interests ahead of children welfare (Ravitch., 2016). She associates the failure in the education of the republic to the reformers.
According to Ravitch, what are the problems associated with value-added assessments that were developed by Sanders?
Value-added assignments significantly affect teachers, students, and schools at large. Use of students' scores to rate a teacher's performance is a misguided approach. It is reported that a teacher committed suicide as a result of a publication with regards to their performance in value added assessment. It demoralizes teachers who are rated poorly yet their intellectual ability is high.
These tests do not adequately show a teacher's ability to teach effectively, and they are inaccurate since learning is affected by various factors other than the facilitator. It is unfair to use value-added assessment for teachers working in poor school environments where there are inadequate facilities, and where students are faced with all sorts of difficulties which may result in reduced performance. These tests make the teachers tensed and lacked peace; others develop low self-esteem leading to even more miserable facilitation in class.
According to Ravitch, what are the factors that have the most influence on students' standardized test scores?
According to Ravitch, some factors influence a student's score in the tests. These factors include, but are not limited to, the current teacher, school condition, the influence of other teachers, former and current, school attendance, out of school learning experiences, students' health, family resources, family mobility and the impact of friends and neighbors (Ravitch., 2016)
It is unfortunate that some reforms suggest that students score is influenced by the teacher's ability to deliver or to add value to a student. Apart from the influence given by teachers, students also face other forces that influence their performance in tests. Poor school conditions, poor school attendance, lousy health, increased family mobility, and inadequate family resources are factors that may contribute to low scores. On the other hand, abundant family resources, right school conditions with adequate facilities, competitive teaching, and positive influence from teachers influence high scores in tests.
According to Ravitch, what are the consequences of evaluating teachers by the rise and fall of students' test scores?
According to Ravitch, teachers will avoid teaching in poorly performed schools for fear of being poorly rated (Ravitch., 2016). This scenario means there will be no better education for children under challenging schools and districts. Another consequence is that teachers will opt to join other professions when they are rated poorly yet they believe in their worth. The evaluation may also make it hard for teachers who are poorly evaluated to get a decent job and perhaps a decent salary.
Evaluating teachers by the students' test scores gives a false impression of the value added by teachers to student (Ravitch et al.,2003). Some teachers may take the evaluation seriously, and when rated poorly, they lose their confidence, while those highly rated may become proud and reluctant hence teach poorly and affect students' progress in learning.
How does Ravitch criticize value-added assessments regarding marginalized groups?
Value-added assessments are a misleading measure of a teacher's effectiveness in teaching. Ravitch believes that many other factors affect students' scores other than teachers' influence. In marginalized groups, it is unfair to rate a teacher's competitiveness regarding students' score on standardized tests. This argument is because children from marginalized groups encounter different types of difficulties which hinders their performance in the tests.
Marginalized communities have inadequate facilities to compete with children from wealthy communities where children enjoy bountiful facilities, high family support, and good health care, high-end after-school learning activities, and access to learning materials (Ravitch et al., 2003). Value-added tests in such cases are useless since students are not faced with similar conditions, so are the teachers. Teaching in a marginalized setup is more challenging than teaching in a wealthy community.
Works Cited
Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. Basic Books, 2016.
Ravitch, Diane, and Joseph P. Viteritti. Making Good Citizens: Education and Civil Society. Yale UP, 2003.
