Assessments Hold Schools, States and Nations Accountable

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According to IRA standards, “the primary purpose of assessment is to improve teaching and learning” (International Reading Association, n.d.). This connotation would seem to contradict the uselessness of focused teacher-testing in today’s classroom during the major assessment phase of the school year. However, according to Johnson and Johnson (2002) and Steward (2004), they believe that assessments are useful in holding schools, states and nations, accountable throughout the educational process for student learning (as cited in Richardson, Morgan, & Fleener, 2009). As many of us educators in this district know, this accountability could be seen in our state’s profienciency exam, State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), formerly the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), coupled with the No Child Left Behind policies.High-stakes testing has severe implications for English language learners (ELL) with language proficiency difficulties.These particular students need specific help to attain these high standards of learning. Today’s teachers, therefore, must be provided with the type of preparation that is needed for working with English language learners in America’s classrooms. Educators and politicians are still battling whether teachers are fulfilling this need through the No Child Left Behind Act.
The article, “A Child is not a Test Score: Assessment as a Civil Right”, reminds educators that one of the former presidents, George W. Bush, provided America with the No Child Left Behind Act, which served to change the testing procedures and stakes of students nationwide. (Neill, 2009). Also, in the article, current President Obama was quoted as saying “We should not be forced to spend the academic year prep...

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...ts, blame inadequate test scores on demographics, stating that not all students are exposed to the same material and many teachers feel that the NCLB Act has forgotten about the needs of diverse students. In fact, according to the Texas ELL Progress Measure data sheet, Texas has already modified and even lowered the STAAR ® testing expectations for students who are English language learners, yet another change that has baffled ESL teachers in the district (TEA, n.d.). As a teacher in a low socio-economic, majority Latino, school district more information on how students’ socio-economic and other demographic statuses affect standardized testing scores should be made available across the district to ensure that we are aware of what our students need in order to advance through the primary and secondary school levels and beyond into the college and career ready levels.

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