High Stake Testing

Effects of High-Stake Testing on Early Childhood Education
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Abstract
High-stake tests have been employed to significant effect on the education sector. They are a means to determine the school curriculum, accountability of teachers, track students’ progress and identify areas of weakness. In Early Childhood Education, the efficiency and effectiveness of high-stakes tests have come under intense scrutiny. Many scholars opine that there are better, more effective ways to determine a child’s intellectual ability. I look at the pros and cons of using these tests in early childhood education, and how they compare to alternative forms of testing. The National Council on Measurement, the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association in Education have set professional standards of determining the basis upon which to administer high-stakes tests on children. The National Research Council published in its report the parameters to be considered in determining the viability of these tests. Whereas high-stake tests have helped shape education policies, their dismissive nature has come under intense scrutiny.
Keywords: high-stake, education, childhood education, tests.

Effects of High-Stake Testing on Early Childhood Education
High-stake testing, as the name suggests, is a determinant test that is highly consequential on the progress of the test taker. The stakes are high, with passing or failing of the test determining the next course of action for the learner.

Passing a high-stakes test leads to promotion to the next level or completion of a particular stage. Failing the test gives the opposite results, leading to re-taking the test or dismissal from the program. High-stake tests have a zero-sum effect about them. The test taker puts everything on the line, where they can gain it all or lose it all in equal measure.
A high-stakes test is dependent on the consequence of the result, rather than the test itself. For instance, a test taker who is re-taking a test has a lot more riding on the results than a first-time taker who would have the chance to re-take the test should they fail. The same test, in this case, has different stakes at play for both test takers (The National Academies Press 2018).
The stakes involved in a test could be beneficial to third party members. Take a medical licensing test, for example, the test taker on passing the test would be licensed to practice medicine to the general public. Failing would mean the test taker would not be allowed to practice medicine to the public. In this case, the general public is seen as the biggest beneficiary of the consequences of the test results.
In early childhood education, high-stakes tests are used to determine whether the child gets promoted or retained at that stage for further assessment. The stakes are indeed high when it comes to children, and many scholars feel it is not the best determinant of a child’s intellectual ability. Secondary factors like the attitude of the teacher, distractive environment or mood swings could affect the child’s performance on a test. Precisely the reason why the efficacy of high-stakes tests in early childhood Education needs a pragmatic review.
Reference
The National Academies Press. (2018). Eager to Learn: Educating Our Pre-schoolers. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu/read/9745/chapter/8