Keith Williamson’s research while affiliated with East Carolina University and other places

This paper discusses the impact of high-stakes testing on the K12 outreach experiences of science and engineering graduate students. As the use of accountability systems continue to evolve as a basis for measuring the performance of schools, there is a threat to meaningful science and engineering outreach since teachers often use the results of high-stakes assessment as their primary reference point for evaluating the merit of innovative teaching practices and career induction experiences for students. We found that science and engineering outreach activities combined with teacher professional development seminars and a socio-constructivist framework for teaching provide an effective approach for limiting the use of accountability systems as the sole reference for success. Similarly, the approach helped teachers cope with the pressures of high-stakes testing while conducting professional experimentation to change their attitudes and beliefs about science and engineering topics. Specifically, the use of graduate students as content-resources in classrooms creates a collaborative environment that encourages teachers to avoid tendencies to narrow curriculum standards and spend large amounts of instructional time preparing students for high-stakes tests.