What is High-Stakes Testing

The publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983 as well as the progression to a global society has created a national concern for the quality of education in the United States. There has been a shift in education, from hands off from the national government to a move for a national curriculum that will assist in the improvement of our schools. Policies around education are ever changing, and this has an impact on the teachers who are currently in the profession as well as those who educate pre-service teachers. The chapter provides an overview of the unfolding of educational policy within the United States, discusses the current policies being implemented and their impact on the field of teaching. The chapter concludes with consideration of the impact of these policies and recommendations for future implementation.