Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-6-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Public Policy Leadership
First Advisor
Melissa Bass
Second Advisor
Joseph Holland
Third Advisor
Richard Balkin
Relational Format
Tables and Graphs
Abstract
This thesis concerns the direct impacts of the Mississippi mandated standardized testing, used for graduation, on Mississippi public school teachers and students. To collect appropriate data, I used the Qualtrics survey platform to fit in the parameters needed for IRB approval. This survey provided individuals an opportunity to express their opinions on certain statements, ideas, and beliefs about the current mandated standardized testing system, while also collecting background information for comparing data such as differences between how much someone from a D ranked school would support standardized testing compared to someone from an A ranked school. Most teachers and faculty members are against the current standardized testing system. However, they are not against testing in general. As found in the open-ended questions portion for the results chapter, many teachers acknowledge the importance of testing but believe the current system does not accurately represent what students are learning. Also found in chapter 4, most participants supported using the ACT/SAT and/or ACT Work Keys as a proper use of standardized testing to gauge the education of those in the Mississippi public school system. Therefore, based on support from my literature review and the data collected through my survey, I believe it is necessary for the Mississippi Board of Education to consider and implement a plan to move out of the current standardized testing system and into a system using the ACT/SAT and ACT Work Keys
Recommended Citation
Goss, Christopher I., "The Effects of Mississippi Mandated Testing on Students and Teachers" (2026). Honors Theses. 3540.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3540