National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy
January 2003
A group of people who don't much like testing and are affiliated with Boston College's famously anti-testing testing center, have grandiosely dubbed themselves the "National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy" (NBETPP), raised some money, hired a staff, and are now issuing research reports. This one is based on interviews (conducted in 2000-01) with teachers and school administrators in three states: low-stakes Kansas, medium-stakes Michigan and high-stakes Massachusetts. The big question was whether the "stakes" have a big impact on teaching and learning. Turns out there's no clear relationship. The authors (Marguerite Clarke and 5 colleagues) offer the utterly banal conclusion that "stakes are a powerful lever for effecting change, but one whose effects are uncertain; and that a one-size-fits-all model of standards, tests and accountability is unlikely to bring about the greatest motivation and learning for all students." They go on to make eight predictable recommendations. It's a yawner, but you can find it at http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr1.pdf.
