What is "high-stakes testing"?
"High-stakes testing" refers to tests that determine whether individual students have
reached a specific level of proficiency and that are intended to be used to determine
whether the student is qualified to advance to another level or has met minimum standards.
Examples are the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the Scholastic Achievement
Tests (SAT), and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The debate over the value of high
stakes testing is quite heated, especially in the public school arena. For sites favoring
such testing programs, go here. For sites opposed to such testing, go here. For more
information on high stakes testing in higher education, especially as it relates to
second language learners and students of color, go here.