Rice University Professor Linda McNeil has looked at the impact of Texas'
high-stakes testing program TAAS on teaching and learning (she has one book
titled _Contradictions of School Reform_, and a 2000 Kappan article
"Creating New Inequalities"). Her findings were pretty interesting, and
have since been corroborated by other researchers in other states. McNeil
demonstrated that the quality and quantity of subjects offered is reduced
as
much more time is devoted to preparing students to pass the test. TAAS
drills have replaced authentic instruction, particularly in the poorest
schools and those with the highest proportion of students of color. Not
only has the range of subjects taught been diminished, but students are
drilled on isolated skills and "facts" rather than having opportunities to
explore topics in depth and comprehensively. She even talks about schools
holding TAAS "pep rallies" to gear students up to take the tests.
I'm interested to hear if people in other states have witnessed the kinds
of
changes McNeil described that have occurred in Texas. In particular, have
you seen more direct "test prep" and "drill and kill" methods being used,
especially in lower-income schools and schools with high percentages of
students of color?
Christina Perez
FairTest (christina@fairtest.org)
http://www.fairtest.org
and
TERC (christina_perez@terc.edu)
http://www.terc.edu
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