The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing On Biology Curriculum

The Impact of High-StakesTesting on Biology CurriculumAressa ColeyMississippi State University

Brief History of Standardized Testing in U.S. Standardized tests have been used in the United States for roughly a century Use of standardized tests is common and widely accepted Standardized tests have been used to: Assess student aptitudes and achievements Inform decisions about curriculum and instruction Make predictions about how successful a student may be in the future

Standardization High-Stakes Standardization does not equal high-stakes High-stakes Test outcomes are used to make important, often life-altering decisions Standardized tests were predominately used as a source of information Although the expansion of high-stakes testing in the U.S. can be traced long beforethe implementation of NCLB, the use of high-stakes tests in the U.S. has increasedsubstantially since its implementation

No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind Act (2001) Generally flawed Provision that requires “states adopt a system of accountability whereby students,teachers, administrators, and schools are evaluated annually on the basis ofstudents’ standardized test performance” Welcome to the world of high-stakes testing Stakes are considered high due to the magnitude of the consequences associatedwith student test scores

Consequences of High-Stakes Testing Numerous studies conducted over the last few decades have demonstrated that ournation’s public education system has been crippled by this push toward high-stakestesting Studies indicated that there are several unintended consequences associated withhigh-stakes examinations: Extreme pressure to lift performance from education and government leaders A shift in attention from high-achieving to low achieving students A narrowing of curriculum All in the name of accountability

Curriculum Narrowing The threat of narrowed curriculum as a result of high-stakes testing is described as areduction in the intended curriculum Intended curriculum can be defined as, “any knowledge or skill that teachers deemcritical for instruction to take place” In order to avoid inadequate levels of achievement that lead to sanctions forschools, students must receive instruction that will prepare them for what is on theaccountability assessment Ex: “Drill and Kill” Classroom instruction pushed to focus more on core subject knowledge and skills thatstudents need to be proficient Instruction becomes focused on test taking skills to facilitate higher student achievement

Science Curriculum Science content and science process skills Importance of curricular objectives is not always reflected in the distribution ofitems on standardized tests This is the driving force of teachers teaching to the test! Topics or skills not addressed in the test may be de-emphasized or ignoredcompletely Important science process skills become absent from the classroom andpedagogical techniques shift to focus on memorization of science content

Mississippi Department of Education Mississippi Student Achievement Act (1999) mandated that standards for highschool graduation “shall include mastery of minimum academic skills as measuredby assessments developed and administered by the State Board of Education” Four subject area tests were developed: Algebra I Biology I U.S. History English II In order to earn a high school diploma, students must pass all four subject areatests to meet graduation requirements

Mississippi Biology End of Course Exam Many states in the U.S. have adopted a biology end of course exam to fulfill theNCLB subject area performance test for graduation requirement Unfortunately, change the way biology is being presented to our students Biology framework revised in 2010 to include inquiry: Biochemical Basis of Life,Living Organisms and Their Environment, Biological Organizations, heredity, Diversityand Biological Change

Statewide Longitudinal Data System Education policy decisions havebecome increasingly data driven Longitudinal data from earlychildhood to postsecondary educationand the workforce Assist in answering questions abouteducation quality and outcomes

Research Design 490,619 Student records Analyzed Biology I end of course exam score data from 2010 to 2012 Baseline – 2010 data, reflects “traditional” teaching 2011 – 2012 data, reflects classroom instruction targeted at raising test scores The use of state-level data allows researchers to control for variation inimplementation and to generalize about a much greater trend

BIO A*N/A*46.27%35.07%N/A*Students With 98%5.02%35.30%39.39%20.29%English Language 33%5.37%39.84%36.59%18.21%Native AmericanTotalBIO 2012ADVANCEDAREAMississippiBIO 2011

Findings Results show a decrease in the number of students at the minimal performancelevel and increase in the number of students at the basic performance level Also show a decrease in the number of students performing at the advanced level Data serves as evidence of a reduced biology curriculum

Implications These results suggest that biology teachers are not delivering the intended biologycurriculum that is aligned to both state and national science education standards We need to develop a more accurate measure of student achievement These disciplinary based education results should be used to drive changes in theassessment of STEM education and student learning

Thank you!Questions?

Standardization High-Stakes Standardization does not equal high-stakes High-stakes Test outcomes are used to make important, often life-altering decisions Standardized tests were predominately used as a source of information Although the expansion of high-stakes testing in the U.S. can be traced long before the implementation of NCLB, the use of high-stakes tests in the U.S. has increased