Friday, February 19, 2016

Should we make high school exit tests harder?

Comment on: Many who pass state high school graduation tests show up to college unprepared.
Posted at: http://hechingerreport.org/many-who-pass-state-high-school-graduation-tests-show-up-to-college-unprepared/  (2/19/2016)

   Research supports Bob Schaeffer's statement that grades are better predictor of college success than standardized tests:
Bowen, W., Chingos, M., and McPherson, M. 2009. Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America's Universities. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Geiser, S. and Santelices, M.V., 2007. Validity of high-school grades in predicting student success beyond the freshman year: High-school record vs. standardized tests as indicators of four-year college outcomes. Research and Occasional Papers Series: CSHE 6.07, University of California, Berkeley. http://cshe.berkeley.edu
   In addition, a review done by researchers at the University of Texas in 2010 concluded that high school exit exams do not lead to more college attendance, do not result in increased student learning and do not result in higher employment: Holme, J., Richards, M., Jimerson, J., and Cohen, R. 2010. Assessing the effects of high school exit examinations. Review of Educational Research 80 (4): 476-526.
   Research does not support the idea that harder tests based on the common core (PARCC) will be good predictors. In fact, there is no research I know of that even investigates whether mastery of the common core standards leads to any kind of success, nor to my knowledge has any research on this kind even been considered.

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