"The world's greatest problems do not result from people being unable to read and write. They result from people in the world-from different cultures, races, religions, and nations being unable to get along and to work together to solve the world's problems." These statements by James A. Banks have made a profound impact on my view towards multicultural education and the nation's current trend of standardization and high-stakes testing. Scholarly research shows that the emphasis placed on testing and standards, mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is causing teachers to focus entirely on basic skills in reading, writing, and math (Banks & Banks, 2010). This focus on basic skills is taking much needed time and attention away from multicultural education, and the teaching of social justice skills. These skills are critical to students becoming active citizens that can work together with all different groups to tackle the world's issues. Thus, the problem and question for me become, how do we as educators maintain excellence and equity in our teaching through multicultural education, in the face of the standards and mandates set by NCLB and our state, so that no student-of any group-is left behind? .
A high-stakes test is a test with important consequences for whom is being tested. Passing has important benefits, such as a high school diploma, a scholarship, or a license to practice a profession, etc. many school districts today frequently give tests to measure students performance and to hold individual schools and school systems accountable for that performance. To know wheather what students are learning is important. The important goal of using high-stakes testing is to measure and improve student and school system performance is laudable, it is also important that such tests are scored properly too. Mostly public schools use hiigh-stakes testing because he federal and state goovernment is demanding it.
