Raising Test Scores for All Students: An Administrator's Guide to Improving Standardized Test Performance

Finally—a school improvement plan that raises standardized test scores and improves your students' performance! Standardized tests are so widely used in public schools, they seem to have been around forever. On the contrary, standardized testing as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon, and in today's classrooms and schools the stakes have never been higher. For students, test results may determine whether they are promoted from one grade to another or if they receive their high school diplomas.  For teachers, the pressures are equally great.  Student outcomes on standardized tests are often directly linked to annual evaluations, pay raises, and even future employment. And for school administrators, these tests can determine the reputation of a school and be the basis for public rewards or demoralizing sanctions.    Raising Test Scores for All Students marries knowledge about testing and test preparation with school improvement, providing a comprehensive guide for administrators looking for a systemic approach to the challenge of standardized testing. Eugene Kennedy includes a concise overview of the history and research on testing, case studies, flow charts and forms, as well as a four-step approach to improving performance: Step 1: Adopting a Systemic Approach to Improvement and Change Step 2: Aligning the Educational Process with the Desired Outcome Step 3: Aligning the Education Process with Inputs Step 4: Creating Positive Change . . . Plus strategies and techniques for motivating all your students. This innovative approach is an invaluable tool for any educator!

Table of Contents:
Preface About the Author 1. A Review of the Nature of Standardized Tests A Brief History of Standardized Testing in America Basic Characteristics of a Standardized Test Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 2. Standardized Test Preparation for Schools: A Model The Bandwagon of School Change Lessons Learned and the Essential Elements of School Change A Model for Changing Student Outcomes on Standardized Tests Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 3. Adopting a Systemic Approach to Improvement and Change What Is Systemic Change? Creating an Environment for Positive Systemic Change Steps Toward Realizing Systemic Change for Test Preparation Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 4. Aligning with the Educational Process With Desired Outcomes Defining the Outcome Determining Information Needs of Stakeholders Collecting and Analyzing Data on School Test Preparation Practices Analyzing and Summarizing School Test Data Identifying and Prioritizing Problem Areas Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 5. Aligning the Educational Process With Inputs Techniques of Data Collection Factors Which Impede Standardized Test Performance Teacher and Staff Characteristics Which Impede Students′ Standardized Test Performance Social and Environmental Factors Which Impede Students′ Standardized Test Performance Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 6. Creating Positive Change Identify the Causes of the Problems Identify Solutions to the Problems Develop a School Improvement Plan Conclusion Sources of Information and Additional Readings 7. A Case Study of an Elementary School - Leslie Jones-Hamilton, Ph.D. The Setting Washington Elementary School Language Arts Percentile Ranks: Trends 8. Conclusion References Index