Do some forms of student (and school) assessment hinder the introduction of innovative educational practices and the development of innovation skills in education systems? This report focuses on the impact of high-stake summative assessment on innovation and argues that it is possible to reconcile high-stakes assessments and examinations through…

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-à-vis social studies and then evaluates arguments on both sides of the debate in light of the current…

Teachers typically receive the brunt of the criticism for poor performance on large-scale standardized tests. In order to stave off this criticism, some teachers have begun to provide instruction that utilizes actual or cloned items from these high-stakes tests. Such teaching to the test rarely helps learning and has a detrimental effect on the…