Abstract
This paper provides a history of the standardized testing and accountability movement, the curriculum standards attached to the accountability movement, and the attempted shift to common core. Student poverty and its impact on student achievement are the focus of this paper. Recognizing the impact of poverty on student achievement as measured by standardized tests the authors question the explicit practices of teacher preparation programs in preparing teacher candidates to work with students of poverty, particularly at the middle level.
Highlights
In a time of increased accountability measures and volatility of educational policy, public and legislative bodies have become increasingly focused on student achievement as reported in statewide standardized test scores
This article discusses the implications of this research on current and future middle level teacher preparation programs in higher education at the undergraduate level
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data supports this prediction; the National Association for Educational Progress reported in 2005 that nearly 50% of all immigrant, minority, and high poverty children would not graduate from high school and that in the nation’s largest cities, more than 30% of the lowest-income students land in the lowest percentile rankings on standardized assessments in reading and mathematics (Renzulli, 2013)
Summary
In a time of increased accountability measures and volatility of educational policy, public and legislative bodies have become increasingly focused on student achievement as reported in statewide standardized test scores. Having all students take the same standardized test is akin to saying that we have “standardized” children and that we all expect them to learn in the same ways and exhibit this learning in the same way—through these standardized assessments. What these “one-size-fits-all” assessments fail to take into consideration, are the varied backgrounds of our students and the developmental needs of the middle grades learner. This article discusses the implications of this research on current and future middle level teacher preparation programs in higher education at the undergraduate level
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