“Beating Around the [National Policy] Bush”: A Critical Perspective on High-Stakes Testing Reform

• In Event: Multicultural/Multiethnic Education: Critical Perspectives

Abstract

This article makes use of interpretive methods to investigate the history of educational policy and reform while critically analyzing the meanings, beliefs, values, and discourse in and around educational policies as a political and economic resource. We will critique the history of standardized testing and high-stakes testing reform that has become all too common in public schools. The consequences of this reform on minority communities with a focus on English Learners (ELs) will be discussed while questioning if there may be hidden agendas that can be found when reading between the lines of current high-stakes testing policy (ESEA as No Child Left Behind). Lastly we will discuss more promising methods for educational assessment and accountability measures that support all students.

Authors

• Jeffry Taylor Tribble, University of Oklahoma

• William C. Frick, University of Oklahoma