With the authorization of No Child Left Behind, school districts across the United States are required to use large-scale testing as a way of measuring school effectiveness and student achievement. Numerous research studies have examined the intended and unintended consequences of high-stakes accountability practices such as dropout rates, student achievement, and teaching practices, but few have directly addressed student and teacher anxiety in high-stakes testing situations (Cizek & Burg, 2006; Putwain, 2007). This study addressed the gap in the literature through an examination of the student experience within the high-stakes testing situation by measuring student test anxiety and performance. The FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale (FTAS) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), along with a student demographic survey, were administered to 1465 students at six different high schools. In addition, a total of 118 teachers were surveyed from five schools to examine the presence of teacher anxiety. Data were analyzed to determine differences in state and trait anxiety one week prior to the Michigan Merit Exam, predictors of test anxiety and test performance, the relationship of student career goals to test anxiety, and teacher and student anxiety with respect to school AYP status.
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