U.S. testing: Are the stakes actually high?

High school students in the U.S. take many standardized tests, but how do these compare with those taken by teenagers around the world? asks Cory Turner of NPR. For instance, at the age of 16, almost every child in England takes between 15 to 20 substantial examinations, all part of one test, which determine whether they finish high school. Finland has a single standardized exam at the end of high school, but it involves six day-long exams, so one test equates to 40 hours of testing. Many Finnish universities also have entrance exams. Japanese students don't end high school with a high-stakes test, but Japanese universities require their own exams, and many students must take entrance exams to get into high school. Dylan Wiliam of the University of London says that when it comes to getting into college, the above pattern "is true for most countries apart from the U.S. There's no teacher contribution to the decision. Basically, it's how well you do on exams." In the U.S., only half of states have anything like a high-stakes, high school exit exam. And American colleges and universities consider report cards, teacher recommendations, and application essays. Hundreds of American schools no longer require test scores at all. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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