Standardized testing is playing an increasingly large role in how we educate our students. The use of high-stakes tests in particular (such as requiring a student to pass a test before moving on to the next grade or graduating from high school) is something teachers in many states must deal with. Teachers using standards-based curricula often wonder how they can best prepare students for standardized tests.

The Weaving Gender Equity into Math Reform project at TERC has created a one and one-half hour workshop session on standardized testing, math, and equity that is appropriate for use as a professional development tool for teachers and administrators. In this session, participants will: learn about the history of testing as well as the impact testing is having on teaching and learning; consider the reasons why we have standardized testing, what we can (and can't) learn from the tests, and some of the factors that influence how a student performs on such tests; discuss the equity implications resulting from the current trend toward testing; and look at ways to help students prepare for standardized tests.

"Measuring Student Achievement" can be used as a stand-alone workshop or as part of an extended in-service training program for teachers and administrators. The session is appropriate for educators who are concerned about the impact high-stakes testing is having on teaching and learning and for those who want to find ways to help prepare their students for state assessments.

This workshop session is available in PDF format, and can be downloaded and viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. The workshop session and the accompanying handouts are on this web site as two separate documents, so you will need to download them both. Please note that some of the handouts that are mentioned in the session are not available on this web site. They are part of Failing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won't Fix Our Schools, published by Rethinking Schools, Ltd. Failing Our Kids can be ordered for $8 by calling 1-800-669-4192 or visiting the Rethinking Schools website at http://www.rethinkingschools.org. If you do use the Measuring Student Achievement workshop session, please contact us at Christina_Perez@terc.edu to let us know about your experiences. Thank you.

Measuring Student Achievement: The Impact of Standardized Testing on Equity and Excellence in Mathematics

Handouts for "Measuring Student Achievement"

Note: An Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html