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PREPARATION OF SCHOOL LEADERS
Team Testing for Individual Success and the Development of
Interpersonal Skills Among Aspiring School Leaders
Amanda M. MaddocksINTRODUCTION
Those teaching in the field of education leadership constantly examine the necessary
knowledge, skills, and dispositions of future leaders. Adapting course content and teaching
practice in leadership preparation programs to address the needs of aspiring leaders who will
soon be on the front lines is crucial. Assessment is a commonly overlooked element, as
courses are developed and updated to meet the changing needs of our students often focusing
on texts, teaching materials and modes of delivery.
Assessment in the education leadership classroom has the potential to serve as a learning
tool that not only measures the knowledge of our students, but also develops the skills neces-
sary for students’ future roles. Team testing is proposed here as an effective form of assess-
ment that transforms traditional written exams into dynamic knowledge- and skill-building
activities for future leaders.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
The literature on team testing at the university level is limited, with few studies conducted
at the graduate level (Hancock, 2007). Of the studies gathered for this review, most reported
on team testing in graduate-level business courses.
Team Testing
Team testing has been defined in the literature as an assessment technique in which stu-
dents are paired for a written exam (Briggs & Harris, 1990; Hancock, 2007; Hurren, Rutledge
& Burcham, 2006). Students work cooperatively in assigned or self-selected pairs and share a
common grade for the exam.
Team testing has often been used when there is a desire for assessment to match teaching
practice (Hurren et al., 2006). If in class work involved small group work, cooperative learn-
ing, and group projects, Hurren and colleagues argued that team testing was a more authentic
assessment technique than individual testing. Another reason for the use of team testing was
in response to student test anxiety (Briggs & Harris, 1990; Hancock, 2007; Hurren et al.,
2006; Lockemy & Summers, 1993; Nowak, 1996; Zimbardo, Butler, & Wolfe, 2003). Hurren
et al. (2006) noted that test anxiety impacted students at all academic levels. The authors
noted that students in early elementary school and adult students in college each faced similar
anxiety issues related to testing and perceived pressures. Researchers have shown that anxiety
decreased with the use of teams.
Amanda M. Maddocks, Concordia University Chicago