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This text explores how students perceive their
school environment changing as a result of the No
Child Left Behind Act and the subsequent
implementation of high stakes testing in their
state. The research focuses on four questions: (1)
What factual understanding do students have of how
their test works, (2) What changes do students
perceive their instructors making, (3) What changes
do students perceive themselves making, and (4) How
do students perceive the likelihood of high stakes
testing achieving its stated goals. Results are
disaggregated by ethnicity, socioeconomic status,
gender, and special education status. The research
generated indicates that diverse groups of students
are motivated in different ways by high stakes
testing. Special education and minority students in
particular were observed to respond differently than
the overall student body. A secondary finding is
that despite the best efforts of schools to educate
their students about the function of high stakes
testing in their state, students continue to retain
misconceptions.

Student Perceptions of High Stakes Testing: How have students changed their attitudes and behaviors as a result of a state testing program