Content provided in partnership with

High-stakes assessment in England and Singapore

Theory Into Practice, Wntr, 2003 by Kelvin Gregory, Marguerite Clarke

Recent trends in federal and state testing policies have close parallels with policies enacted in England during the 1990s. However, rather than looking toward England for lessons learned, U.S. policy makers have tended to focus on the testing policies and practices of internationally high-performing Asian countries, especially Singapore. This article presents an overview of the English and Singaporean education systems, paying special attention to the high-stakes assessment systems operating at the elementary level in both countries. The effects of these assessments on teachers and students are described and implications for U.S. educators outlined.

**********

Most Popular Articles in Reference: The importance of understanding organizational culture; Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students; What factors attract foreign direct investment?; Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...; How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques; More »

AT ITS MOST GENERAL, assessment can be defined as the process of collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting information to aid decision making (Wiliam, 1998). High-stakes assessments are those used to make significant educational decisions about students, teachers, schools, or school districts (Heubert, 2000). High-stakes assessment may consist of a single measure, such as a paper-and-pencil test, or multiple measures, including portfolios, projects, and written test results. Whatever the format or the number of these measures, high-stakes assessments have a long history. For example, as early as 165 B.C., China had instituted a system for selecting government officials based on recommendations and examinations (Yan & Chow, 2002). Since that time there has been considerable growth in both the use and types of high-stakes assessments in education systems.

This article describes some of the high-stakes assessment practices, and the effects of those practices, in two countries, England and Singapore. England was chosen because it implemented a national testing program in the early 1990s designed to address many of the concerns expressed in the United States by the Bush Administration in the early 2000s. Singapore was selected because of continuing U.S. interest in its educational practices. Noting that Singaporean students score among the highest in the world in mathematics and science, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has stated that there is much to learn about Singapore's system of education (Hoff, 2002). Each section begins with a brief overview of the dominant forces shaping education in that country, then describes the assessments currently being used and outlines some of their effects on teachers and students. Drawing upon lessons learned in these and other countries, the final section of this article presents three broad points of interest to U.S. educators.

The English Education System and High-Stakes Assessment

Prior to the 1980s, control of the English education system was largely devolved to Local Education Authorities, and child-centered, humanitarian approaches to education dominated. Curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation were, for the most part, school based. Concern about the quality and standard of education, promoted by some sensational media reporting throughout the 1970s, raised questions about the school curriculum, accountability of teachers, and the assessment of the effectiveness of education (Flude & Hammer, 1990). Blaming falling educational standards, the wide variation in quality between different schools, and the general decline of social and personal behavior upon progressive teaching methods, the Thatcher government started a series of education reforms in 1979 that were aimed, in part, at controlling and directing teachers (Pring, 1995). These reforms culminated in the Education Reform Act of 1988, which established the National Curriculum and arranged for the testing of students and the publication of league tables comparing school performances.

Since the Thatcher era, successive administrations have maintained these high-stakes assessment systems for a variety of political reasons, not the least of which is the need to appease the business community. The current Labour Government has reaffirmed that raising educational standards continues to be a main priority and has expressed a strong desire that all children should leave school with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the world of work (Morris, 2002). The government requires all schools to have high expectations and to set high standards for all students, regardless of their background.

High-stakes assessments

Most children in England attend non-fee-paying schools that are funded by the national government. School is compulsory from age 5 through age 16, and students within the non-fee-paying school system are taught the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum determines the content that will be taught and sets attainment targets for learning. It also describes how performance will be assessed and reported.

All students in non-fee-paying schools are tested in English and mathematics at the ages of 7, 11, and 14; students are tested in science at ages 11 and 14. The tests, known as the Standard Attainment Tasks and Tests (SATs), are intended to show whether students have reached the National Curriculum learning targets. At age 16, students sit for the General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSE), taking examinations in the core subjects of English, mathematics, and science and a range of elective subjects. Students who pass these examinations may chose to continue their education by preparing for other examinations, such as A-levels or The National Council for Vocational Qualifications. Students who fail the GCSE examinations may stay on at school to repeat the examinations the following year. The remainder of this section focuses primarily on the SATs because they are similar, in intent and practice, to the assessments mandated in the United States by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

High-stakes assessment in England and Singapore

Theory Into Practice, Wntr, 2003 by Kelvin Gregory, Marguerite Clarke

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Health

Most Popular Articles in Reference

Most Popular Publications in Reference