Teaching under High-Stakes Testing

Abstract

In this article, the author reports on the curricular changes and testing focus that have occurred in her teaching since PRAXIS II: Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests were mandated in Ohio, where she teaches at an urban, open admissions, commuter university. Classroom dilemmas are analyzed as they relate to changes in assessments, curriculum content, and instructional strategies when teaching educational psychology to preservice teachers. The benefits and costs of the increased importance of educational psychology in the teacher education program and the advantages and disadvantages of trying to ensure that the students do well on someone else’s examination are also discussed. The author’s experiences are compared with published reports on teachers’ reactions to high-stakes testing, and the author considers how the context in which she teaches and her personal teaching biography influenced her decisions.