Research and ideas for essay:
Can testing children tell us anything significant about the performance of schools?
Testing in several subjects cannot give an overview of the performance of a school
Other factors influence a child’s test results that may be outside the schools control. All depends on context
Working class / middle class families
Opportunities and resources outside of school: tutors etc
Overwhelming dominance of testing
What does years of standardised testing do to a childs brain: destructive
What are our needs for the 20th century: we need a generation of critical thinkers, these characteristics are not encouraged by testing
What testing is used in the England? Will the essay just focus on England? SATS, GCSE, A level etc
What is the ‘perforamance of schools?’ testing might mean a school is good on paper but ofsted may say otherwise
Testing interrupts the flow of teaching
How well schools prepare kids for tests opposed to how much knowledge they provide
Is testing a tool for improving teaching, raising standards etc OR is it simply causing more inequality in teaching
Is testing a requirement for marketisation of schools?
Pasi Salberg on Testing