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High Stakes Assessments
I work in an international school. After interviewing some teachers in my school, I find that AP is the only high stakes testing we have, other than SAT general aptitude tests. AP testing in May is a two week period where students write college board exams that give them college credit.
1. Analyze the implications of AP on teachers and students.
The main implication is “raising the bar.” Students and teachers will need to spend more time preparing for these classes than the regular level class.
➢ For students, I believe AP testing is stressful because of the amount of work they have to complete every day. AP testing also means taking more responsibility for learning and the discipline of preparing for discussion and exams. It affects student sleep. If they have two or more AP classes, they are exhausted by December.
➢ For most teachers, it means preparing more in-depth material, challenging the students to use better vocabulary and to cultivate a more inquisitive culture within the course. There are about 10 teachers who teach "to the test" for these exams in May, including language teachers. Teachers need to be more organized and have a very definite schedule from the beginning of the year, which is a good thing, in terms of planning. However, the stress is that students who fall behind this schedule get demoralized and have a harder time getting back on track. Teachers feel worried that these students, who may just be lazy, will reflect poorly on them, because the amount of students who pass the exam is released in July every year. Although my school says that success rate is not tied to teaching position, you may not have the chance to teach that class again. Teachers are also stressed about students placed in AP classes that don't have the academic skills to succeed.
2. Analyze the effects of AP on different student groups.
➢ According to my school data baseline,I will define different student groups as native English speakers and non-native English speakers (as that is one of the key dynamics in an international school). If the non-native English students do not have a near native English proficiency, the AP courses are more difficult due to the reading expectations associated with most AP courses.
➢ Another aspect that might be highlighted by the differentiation of students into American system students and non-American school system students is the expectations in the exam process. Essay writing in American system is quite defined and different from most other systems.
➢ Also, the emphasis on synthesis and analysis is a significant difference for some Non-American as the focus of education in most of those settings is on memorization of facts and ideas rather than critical thinking.
3. How does AP impact teacher teaching?
Throughout interview two AP teachers in our school, the impact which I list as below.
➢ AP impacts their teaching in the level of analysis and critical thinking that they require of the students.
➢ AP allows them to use a variety of texts that they might not offer students in a regular class.
➢ Also, in AP they expect the students to be more prepared so that most of the class is a seminar style class in which the teacher and the students work together as a collective -- rather than teacher to student dispensing knowledge.
➢ Their goals are more focused on enabling the students and challenging the students to think beyond and with different frames of reference.
4. How much time is spent in preparing the AP testing?
➢ The AP teachers in my school believe that the following two responses which might seem to contradict each other.
1) Everything they do is preparing the students for the test.
2) They spend little time “prepping” for the test.
➢ The explanations of the two responses are as below.
1) They believe that if they are practicing the skills of analysis, synthesis, and effective writing throughout the course, the students will be prepared for the exam -- content and skill wise.
2) They do take two mock exams (one before Winter break and another several weeks before the exam in May). The students do need to be familiar with the exam so that they know some “best strategies” for completing the exam successfully -- but they do not “teach” the exam. They focus on the content and skills and when they do that, the results of the students on the exam seem to be better.
5. Are teachers teaching to the test, are rewards or bonuses given to teachers whose students score high.
In our school, there are no rewards or bonuses given for student achievement.
6. Are students required to pass the test to move to the next grade or graduate?
AP testing are independent tests that are not prerequisites for any high school classes. students can take as many as the school allows them. In our school, students are required to have a 3.25 GPA in order to enroll in an AP course to ensure that students will have some chance of success. In other words, the AP test results are only for the students. The test has no bearing on the student's grades or graduation requirements. The course grades based on course assessments determine those requirements.
7. How are students handling increasing pressures to perform?
Because teachers are not held accountable for the failure of their students, so there is not too much pressure to perform, other than the desire to continue teaching AP courses, and maybe going to some trainings and teaching new ones. Some students handle it well. Others struggle at the beginning but then find the pace and achieve success. And, some realize that they do not yet have the ability(knowledge or skills) or the discipline to meet the pressures of the higher expectations. Students who are willing to try and to put forth effort can succeed in the AP program with the right encouragement and guidance.
8. Are test scores used for teacher evaluations?
Not at our school.
9. How these results are used to compile graduation and or promotion rates, school report card grades, and in the measurement/evaluation of teacher effectiveness.
➢ An Advanced Placement score is considered higher than a regular course. So if a student gets Mastery on a regular course, in our school, it would be 3.25 GPA but with an AP course, she or he would receive at least 3.5 because it is a more difficult course.
➢ The grades would also be used by the instructor to consider how well he/she has prepared the students. However, even this is a variable as different years students are more/less prepared. For example, if there is a class with mostly US / native English speakers, the scores of 4-5 would be excellent scores. However, if the class is mostly ELL students, then scores of 3-4 would be great scores. But a consistent level of scores illustrates that the class is successful in preparing students for the exam.
➢ Promotion is case by case, and teachers with the most experience and success continue teaching AP courses.
10. Comparison: Chinese National College Entrance Examination
➢ The National College Entrance Examination or "NCEE", commonly known as Gaokao(高考), is an academic examination held annually in China.This examination is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school, although there has been no age restriction since 2001. The GaoKao is considered by most people in China to be a relatively objective and fair selection system.
➢ The GaoKao is a high stakes assessments. It exerts deeply implications on Chinese students and teachers. For students, they spend countless hours mastering the exam’s subject matter, and the pressure is so intense. Unlike my school, where I work now, students may pad their college applications with GPAs, letters of recommendation, or personal statements, Chinese students who want to go to one of the country’s better universities know that a high score on the gaokao is the only ticket.Test-based education also gives teachers pressures; they spend a lot of time preparing test-centered academic content. Their teaching goal is designed around for improving student scores. Teachers may not have time and energy to widen and deepen student understanding of the target course. As far as I know that teachers won’t get bonus for student achievements, but they may get more respectful from parents and schools. The results of GaoKao are one of the factors, which are used to evaluate teacher effectiveness.
➢ The effects of GaoKao on different student groups. The term “student groups” is vague, it’s hard for me to define them in Chinese education system, so I will define them as top students and poor-performance students. It is obvious that the most benefit groups from GaoKao is top students, who get the only ticket to go to college. It means a lot for a student in China; she or he may have more options and opportunities. On the other hand, poor-performance students are at high risk to lose the opportunity to go to college. If they fail, they will undergo more pressures and may have less opportunities.
➢ In China, some students handle increasingly pressures well. Others are struggled in achieving the test academic goals. In order to decrease the extreme events, struggling students need get more attention and help from school consultants, parents, teachers. It is necessary to make some reform.
All in all, high stakes assessments may give students and teachers much more pressures than other assessments.In my opinion, we had better not often apply high stakes assessments, especially avoid using high stakes assessments which are related to student graduations or enrollments.
Reference
1. Xu Zhao, 2015. "Academic stress in Chinese schools and a proposed preventive intervention program". Retrieved from
2. Ang, K., & Kwok, Y. 2012. “Elite boarding schools spreading through asia”. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/world/asia/elite-boarding-schools-spreading-through-asia.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y&_r=0
3. Apple in Education. 2013. “One school in china takes an innovative approach to education”. Retrieved from
4. NCES. "International comparisons of achievement". Retrieved from
5. Anya, 2015. "The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing". Retrieved from
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