High-Stakes Tests and the Curriculum
One way the federal government and stares attempt to control curriculum in schools is through the use of high-stakes tests. When aligned with the state-mandated curriculum, state test scores are used as a measure of whether teachers are implementing the curriculum effectively. In states without a mandated curriculum but with high-stakes tests, the test itself becomes the curriculum. In these states, the original notion of alignment (start with the curriculum and align instruction and assessment with the curriculum) is turned on its head, with local schools aligning their curricula with the state test:
A standardized test would set the educational objectives for the teacher. Curriculum alignment would insure that the teacher would cover the material to be rested. The teacher would pre pa re plans and write reports to inform supervisors in the