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A Critical Review of 'Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams'

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Title: A Critical Review of 'Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams'
Language: English
Authors: Phelps, Richard P. (ORCID 0000-0003-4008-087X)
Source: Online Submission. 2020 16:1-28.
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 28
Publication Date: 2020
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: High School Students, Exit Examinations, Academic Achievement, Minimum Competencies, Minimum Competency Testing, Classification, Achievement Gains, Testing Problems, Accountability, Achievement Tests, Standardized Tests, Basic Skills, Norm Referenced Tests, Scores, High Stakes Tests, Longitudinal Studies
Geographic Terms: Ohio, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: California Achievement Tests, Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, Otis Lennon School Ability Test, Stanford Achievement Tests, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NCES)
Abstract: This review critiques the highly-praised and influential 2001 study, "Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams," which concluded that "minimum competency," or high school "graduation exams," had no effect on student achievement. The review compares the test classifications of "Getting Tough?" to those in two contemporaneous federal government testing program surveys. The comparison suggests that "Getting Tough?" mis-classified several tests and, at the same time, failed to control for several factors highly correlated with test performance and student achievement gains, such as stakes, content, student effort, administration methods, security protocols, and the effect of other tests administered around the same time period. The influence of "Getting Tough?" went far beyond its own content, however, because the author and others asserted a methodological superiority over all previous scholarly work on the topic. Eventually, the number of states administering high school graduation exams would diminish from a large majority of them at the turn of the millennium to less than ten now.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2023
Access URL: https://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Reviews/v16n4.htm
Accession Number: ED625162
Database: ERIC
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  Data: A Critical Review of 'Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams'
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Phelps%2C+Richard+P%2E%22">Phelps, Richard P.</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4008-087X">0000-0003-4008-087X</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Online+Submission%22"><i>Online Submission</i></searchLink>. 2020 16:1-28.
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 28
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  Data: 2020
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+School+Students%22">High School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Exit+Examinations%22">Exit Examinations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minimum+Competencies%22">Minimum Competencies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minimum+Competency+Testing%22">Minimum Competency Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classification%22">Classification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+Gains%22">Achievement Gains</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Testing+Problems%22">Testing Problems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+Tests%22">Achievement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Standardized+Tests%22">Standardized Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Basic+Skills%22">Basic Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Norm+Referenced+Tests%22">Norm Referenced Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scores%22">Scores</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+Stakes+Tests%22">High Stakes Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Longitudinal+Studies%22">Longitudinal Studies</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ohio%22">Ohio</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Georgia%22">Georgia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+Jersey%22">New Jersey</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22North+Carolina%22">North Carolina</searchLink>
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  Label: Assessment and Survey Identifiers
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22California+Achievement+Tests%22">California Achievement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Comprehensive+Tests+of+Basic+Skills%22">Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Metropolitan+Achievement+Tests%22">Metropolitan Achievement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Otis+Lennon+School+Ability+Test%22">Otis Lennon School Ability Test</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Stanford+Achievement+Tests%22">Stanford Achievement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22National+Education+Longitudinal+Study+of+1988+%28NCES%29%22">National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NCES)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This review critiques the highly-praised and influential 2001 study, "Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams," which concluded that "minimum competency," or high school "graduation exams," had no effect on student achievement. The review compares the test classifications of "Getting Tough?" to those in two contemporaneous federal government testing program surveys. The comparison suggests that "Getting Tough?" mis-classified several tests and, at the same time, failed to control for several factors highly correlated with test performance and student achievement gains, such as stakes, content, student effort, administration methods, security protocols, and the effect of other tests administered around the same time period. The influence of "Getting Tough?" went far beyond its own content, however, because the author and others asserted a methodological superiority over all previous scholarly work on the topic. Eventually, the number of states administering high school graduation exams would diminish from a large majority of them at the turn of the millennium to less than ten now.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Label: Entry Date
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  Data: 2023
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  Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="https://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Reviews/v16n4.htm" linkWindow="_blank">https://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Reviews/v16n4.htm</link>
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  Data: ED625162
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 28
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: High School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Exit Examinations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Minimum Competencies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Minimum Competency Testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Classification
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Achievement Gains
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Testing Problems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Accountability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Achievement Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Standardized Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Basic Skills
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Norm Referenced Tests
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      – SubjectFull: Scores
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: High Stakes Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ohio
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Georgia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: New Jersey
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: North Carolina
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: California Achievement Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Metropolitan Achievement Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Otis Lennon School Ability Test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stanford Achievement Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NCES)
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      – TitleFull: A Critical Review of 'Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams'
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              Y: 2020
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