POLICY RESEARCH: TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT

credit: http://www.edutopia.org/healthier-testing-made-easy

The dissatisfaction with our educational system and the desire to reform education can be traced to the early 1980s: A Nation at Risk triggered “a widespread perception of an educational crisis so severe as to undermine America’s economy and future,” (Kornhaber & Orfield, 2001). Since that time, Americans have placed unprecedented attention on holding our schools accountable. Thus began our nation’s obsession with standards-based assessment, of which testing, as a way of measuring accountability, has become a key component.

The standards-based educational reform (SBER) movement holds as its core tenet that “externally formulated goals along with content standards and a strict accountability system (that relies upon high-stakes tests) can improve curriculum and instruction” (Mathison & Ross, 2004). Traditional testing, as a result, has become a “staple of educational policymakers in their quest to raise and maintain high standards” (Natriello & Pallas, 2001).

Traditional Testing: Purposes and Benefits as a Policy Instrument

Traditional testing is a powerful and widely popular tool for policymakers, as tests tend to serve several purposes (Natriello & Pallas, 2001): it provides a means through which individual student progress can be measured from year-to year, decisions about individual students Webmail, such as special needs and class placement, can be made with relative ease based on test scores, and testing is used to determine whether or not a student has achieved a certain level of mastery of skill that advances him to the next grade or even, makes him eligible to graduate.

As a policy tool, testing has many attractive features: it can be implemented with relative low-costs, it can reach a wide audience and therefore influence all “major actors in the educational system” (Natriello & Pallas, 2001), and it demands accountability on poor-performing schools to provide quality education to its students (NRC, 1999). 

Another important feature of testing, particularly state testing programs, is that it allows states to monitor and control to a certain extent the success and progress of its local districts

Traditional Testing: Current Policy Strategy

Beginning most notably with George H.W. Bush, Americans began to see an increased role for the White House in educational policy (Mathison, 2004). In 1994, President Clinton signed Goals 2000 into law. Current policy strategy can, however, be traced back even further, to 1965 with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Educational Act (ESEA).

NCLB marks a fundamental shift away from education policy focused on inputs, like putting money into our educational system, to a focus on outputs— largely focused on holding schools accountable for the money being poured into the system. It is hard to deny testing’s central role in the No Child Left Behind mandate. It is not just testing, but rather high-stakes testing, that is a core part of NCLB: real consequences are at stake for students, teachers, and schools who do not make the mark.

NCLB, which was possible by and large because of the bipartisan coalition that ensured its passage during President Bush’s first term in office, has been up for reauthorization since 2007.

Limitations of Traditional Testing as a Policy

While testing might be useful and efficient in easing the daunting task of assessing en masse as well as be less expensive to implement, many experts worry about the unintended consequences of traditional testing.

Of importance, there is growing concern that traditional tests are only teaching the basics, rather than high-order skills such as critical thinking or analytic reasoning. For even the most thoughtful proponents of NCLB, there are problems in policies that place so much emphasis on testing (J. Mehta, personal communication, November 12, 2009).     Despite its limitations, however, the fact that testing is such an efficient policy tool indicates that it is unlikely to be abandoned very easily. Instead, the onus falls to policy-makers to learn how to use testing appropriately, to develop questions that test beyond the basics, and to only convey the results the tests are intended for (NRC, 1999). 

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1. Talk with recent clients Ask agents to provide a list of what they've listed and sold in the past year, with contact information, says Ron Phipps, past president of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors, or NAR. Before you start calling the names, ask the agent if anyone will be "particularly pleased or particularly disappointed," he says. With past clients, "I'd like to know what the asking price was and then what the sales price was," says William Poorvu, adjunct professor emeritus at Harvard Business School and co-author of "The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide to Decision-making and Investment." And, if you're the seller, ask if these past properties are similar to yours in price, location and other salient features, Poorvu says. What you want is someone who specializes in exactly what you're selling. SHARE THIS STORY LinkedIn Delicious Reddit Stumbleupon Email story Another good question for sellers is: How long has the home been on the market?

2. Look up the licensing States will have boards that license and discipline real estate agents in those states, says Phipps. Check with your state's regulatory body to find out if the person is licensed and if there have been any disciplinary actions or complaints, or check to see if the information is posted online.

3. Pick a winner Peer-given awards count, says Phipps. One that really means something is the "Realtor of the Year" designation awarded by the state or local branch of NAR. "These agents are the best as judged by their peers," he says. "That's a huge endorsement."

4. Select an agent with the right credentials Just as doctors specialize, so do real estate agents. And even generalists will get additional training in some areas. So that alphabet soup after the name can be an indication that the person has taken additional classes in a certain specialty of real estate sales. Here's what some of the designations mean:

5. Research how long the agent has been in business You can often find out how long the agent has been selling real estate from the state licensing authority. Or, you can just ask the agent. "If they haven't been in business five years, they're learning on you and that's not good," says Robert Irwin, author of "Tips & Traps When Buying a Home." Ultimately, what you're looking for is someone who is actively engaged in a particular area and price range, says Phipps. You'll want to know what knowledge of those two factors they can demonstrate and "what kind of market presence they have," he says.

6. Look at their current listings Check out an agent's listings online, says Brobeck. Two places to look are the agency's own site and Realtor.com, a website that compiles properties in the Multiple Listing Service into a searchable online database. Most buyers start their search on the Internet, and you want an agent who uses that tool effectively. "A key thing is an attractive presentation on the Web," says Brobeck. You also can look at how closely the agent's listings mirror the property you want to buy or sell. Are they in the same area? Is the price range similar? And does the agent have enough listings to indicate a healthy business but not so many that you'd just be a number?

7. Ask about other houses for sale nearby A good agent should know about other area properties that are available "off the top of his head," says Irwin. Mention a house in your area that's sold recently or is for sale. If the agent knows the property and can give you a few details, that means he or she really knows your area, he says. "You want someone like that who's on top of the market."