I teach at the International Christian School in Hong Kong, which places emphasis on high-stakes assessments. Its assessment practices have been adopted with an intentional and clear connection to student learning. At every level the assessments are chosen to accurately and consistently measure the curricular aims of the school and to make an instructional contribution.
The students at ICS currently take :
1) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).
It is chosen because of its reliability and high quality comparative data which helps ICS make inferences and decisions about its program. In addition, the MAP test provides formative data that can be used to both inform instruction and monitor progress of individual students and provide feedback. Students who take this test are from Kinder-9th grade.
2) PSAT, SAT and ACT
ICS students take the SAT and/or ACT exams on a voluntary basis as these are mostly useful for students going to U.S. universities. The Testing Coordinator arranges for the SAT and ACT exams to be offered at ICS on various Saturdays throughout the year. The majority of ICS students do take the SAT and/or ACT. The ACT has only recently been offered at ICS, but there has been significant student interest.
SAT results show ICS students not only performing well above U.S. norms, but also above International norms. SAT results are used primarily in the university application process. Since the ACT has only recently been offered, the school does not have much data about ICS students’ ACT performance. Students in grades 10 and 11 have been required to take the PSAT as preparation for the SAT exam.
3) Advanced Placement
AP results have been strong year on year, with ICS easily outperforming global averages, and also outperforming Hong Kong averages in nearly all subjects. Students take this voluntary test to accumulate credits for their university placement. AP teachers also meet individually with the HS principal to review the detailed grades, summary reports, and consider the implications for course planning and student learning.
Students who take this test are currently 10th , 11th, and 12th graders.
In summary, ICS high school prepares and guides the students for the above tests, especially for students seeking AP endorsed performance for university placement and SAT results for university acceptance. Middle and Elementary schools, students take the MAP tests twice yearly to i) generally inform teachers and the school about individual student progress, and ii) specifically inform curriculum and program review committees about relative strengths and weaknesses. Students who did not perform well in the tests have no consequence to bear, but teachers will give extra support to their academic growth.
ICS teachers, especially high school teachers will teach to the test for the AP courses but are not held accountable for the students' scores. The school does not evaluate the teachers' performance based on the students results.
ICS teachers, especially high school teachers will teach to the test for the AP courses but are not held accountable for the students' scores. The school does not evaluate the teachers' performance based on the students results.
As a Music teacher, I am not familiar with these standardized high stakes tests, but I interviewed a teacher who teaches high school Physic at an AP school in Shanghai to find out how the tests work in his school; he said the teachers would teach the curriculum for the AP courses, but would not teach to the test as the school stresses more on student learning than test taking.
I also talked to an Elementary classroom teacher at an IB World school in Busan; he told me that the Elementary students in his school would take both the MAP and ACER tests but would not be affected by the scores. It was interesting to know that the parents didn't even care if their children passed the tests.
In conclusion, different schools hold different perspectives in approaching the high-risk tests. Generally, Middle and Elementary schools do not regard the MAP test as pressurizing because it has no effect on them. Again, for the high school test, it all depends on individual students how important the tests are to them.
