Over and over we hear that testing narrows the curriculum, provokes anxiety rather than enthusiasm for learning, drives teachers out of the classroom, all in the name of improving student achievement.
Why do so many educators and politicians persist in an approach whose effectiveness is yet to be validated? A clearly articulated rationale for annual testing is needed. One appeared in the New York Times written by a former advisor to the U.S. Department of Education. It lays out the administration’s rationale.
