Collateral Damage

Synopsis

For more than a decade, the debate over high-stakes testinghas dominated the field of education. This passionate andprovocative essay provides a fresh perspective on the issue andpowerful ammunition for opponents of high-stakes tests.Drawing on their extensive research, Nichols and Berlinerdocument and categorize the ways that high-stakes testingthreatens the purposes and ideals of the American educationalsystem. Their analysis is grounded in the application ofCampbell's Law, which posits that the greater the social consequences associated with a quantitative indicator (such as test scores), the more likely it is that the indicator itself willbecome corrupted'and the more likely it is that the use ofthe indicator will corrupt the social processes it was intendedto monitor.Nichols and Berliner illustrate both aspects of this ?corruption,?showing how the pressures of high-stakes testing erodethe validity of test scores and distort the integrity of the educational system. Their analysis provides a coherent and comprehensive intellectual framework for the wide-ranging arguments against high-stakes testing, while putting a compelling human face on the data marshalled in support of those arguments.