High Stakes Testing

What is the purpose of this assessment?

High-stakes assessments are typically standardized tests used for the purposes of accountability—i.e., any attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers.

What should I know about these assessments?

In general, “high stakes” means that important decisions about students, teachers, schools, or districts are based on the scores students achieve on a high-stakes test. Scores on these assessments can either dictate sanctions, penalties, reduced funding, etc. or accolades such as awards, public celebration, positive publicity, etc.