The Pressure Cooker in Education: Standardized Assessment and High-Stakes

Abstract

While assessment has been a part of education for a long time, the current increased emphasis on standardization of curriculum and assessment is unique. The author surveys varying perspectives on assessment, considers the role assessment plays vis--vis social studies and then evaluates arguments on both sides of the debate in light of the current high-stakes testing environment which is becoming an integral component of North American education. Finally, a discussion of the implications of increased assessment, and particularly that of high-stakes testing within the social studies curricula reveals that significant portions of important social studies outcomes are minimalized or ignored because of the emphasis on standardized testing.