Tag Archive » standardized testing
In the last five years, we’ve witnessed a significant shift in the focus of the U.S. public education system. The shift is perhaps best illustrated by the proliferation of the public high school rankings appearing in national publications. U.S. News & World Report, well known for its university rankings, now publishes a ranking of best high schools as well. Unlike the university rankings, which take many factors into account (yet remain of dubious value), the high school ranking considers essentially one statistic: standardized test scores.
The massive movement towards standardized tests as a barometer for education has its roots in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. The act is a well-intentioned piece of legislation as its purpose is to improve the overall quality of American public education. It does so partially by attempting to measure schools’ success, as President Bush explained when he signed the bill into law:
The story of children being just shuffled through the system is one of the saddest stories of America….The first step to making sure that a child is not shuffled through is to test that child as to whether or not he or she can read and write, or add and subtract. The first way to solve a problem is to diagnose it. And so, what this bill says, it says every child can learn. And we want to know early, before it’s too late, whether or not a child has a problem in learning. I understand taking tests aren’t fun. Too bad. We need to know in America. We need to know whether or not children have got the basic education.
