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American Education, 10/e

Joel Spring

Power and Control at the State and National Levels: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, School Violence, The Reading and Math Wars, and Private Foundations

Multiple Choice Quiz


1	Which system of testing became the model for Americans after the report A Nation At Risk was issued?
		A)	China's system of testing
		B)	Germany's system of testing
		C)	Japan's system of testing
		D)	The systems of testing used by Germany and Japan


2	Accountability is based upon the belief that
		A)	The average community member has the ability to make correct educational decisions.
		B)	Educational experts should not have decision-making power. Instead, their research should be used to inform the public who will make the decisions.
		C)	The community has the right to complain, but decisions about how to deal with complaints should be made by educational experts.
		D)	The public reporting of test scores will embarrass teachers and make them work harder.


3	The sources of public school resources can be ranked as follows:
		A)	State, local and federal
		B)	Local, state and federal
		C)	Federal, local and state
		D)	All three sources contribute equally


4	The following factor had little impact on student test performance
		A)	Smaller class size.
		B)	Teacher experience.
		C)	Higher expenditures per student.
		D)	All of the above.


5	Which of the following is true?
		A)	Compulsory education laws vary from state to state in their actual form and interpretation by state courts.
		B)	Cookie-cutter compulsory education laws result in a more flexible application of compulsory-schooling laws.
		C)	Research has proved that there is a relationship between the amount and quality of education available in a society and a decrease in crime, unemployment, and other social, economic and political problems.
		D)	Teacher unions support abandoning compulsory education laws because they infringe upon parental rights to control and direct the education of their children.


6	High-stakes testing is not a controversial issue because research has shown that the content of the test is politically neutral.
		A)	True
		B)	False


7	Most states exercise the following major functions regarding education:
		A)	Establishing academic standards and curriculum guidelines for local school districts
		B)	Providing funds to local school districts
		C)	Licensing teachers
		D)	All of the above


8	A report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Education about school violence, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, found
		A)	Students are more likely to be injured in school than outside of school.
		B)	A decline in school crimes during the 1990s.
		C)	An increase in the number of street gangs in the schools.
		D)	An increase in school crimes during the 1990s.
		E)	Answers a, c and d.


9	Since the activities of private foundations rarely result in government action, they have very little influence over nationalizing educational policies and practices.
		A)	True
		B)	False


10	The federal government exercises control over education by
		A)	Exercising the rights provided by the United States Constitution, which provides that the federal government has a vested interest in the control of education because an informed citizenry is vital to national security.
		B)	Categorical aid, which provides federal money to support particular educational programs.
		C)	Federal regulations that are attached to federal programs and require state compliance as a requirement for the receipt of federal money.
		D)	Funding of particular types of research.
		E)	All of the above
		F)	Answers a, b and c.
		G)	Answers b, c and d.


11	The testing approach shifts the discussion from the conditions of learning to motivation to learn.
		A)	True
		B)	False


12	High-stakes testing is a key element in the control of education by federal and state governments in the 21st century.
		A)	True
		B)	False

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