A plague has been sweeping through American schools, wiping out the most innovative instruction and beating down some of the best teachers and administrators. Ironically, that plague has been unleashed in the name of improving schools. Invoking such terms as "tougher standards," "accountability," and "raising the bar," people with little understanding of how children learn have imposed a heavy-handed, top-down, test-driven version of school reform that is lowering the quality of education in this country. (Kohn, 2001)

Proponents of high-stakes testing argue that it leads to achievement and other gains:

· Students know what is expected and that the test really counts, so they work harder.

· Schools identify and can address student weaknesses early.

· Similarly, schools discover areas of overall weakness, prompting them to refocus resources where they are most needed.

· Education across the state is more consistent, eliminating situations where schools in some districts are superior to others.

The public sees gains from year to year and regains confidence in public schools. (Education Commission of the States, 2000)

Schools must have clear, measurable goals focused on basic skills and essential knowledge. Requiring annual state assessments in math and reading in grades 3-8 will ensure that the goals are being met for every child, every year. Annual testing in every grade gives teachers, parents and policymakers the information they need to ensure that children will reach academic success. (Bush, 2001)

High stakes testing often harms students’ daily experience of learning, displaces more thoughtful and creative curriculum, diminishes the emotional well-being of educators and children, and unfairly damages the life-chances of members of vulnerable groups. (National Council of Teachers of English, 2000)

Assume for a moment that the critics are right about the sorry state of American education. Given that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that our schools remain very traditional, it’s rather difficult for a fair-minded person to blame the problem on progressive "fads," which are actually rare. In fact, it may be the continued reliance on traditional practices that helps to explain why students aren’t doing better. (Kohn, 2000)

As the testing relies more and more on items with high scoring reliability, it is less likely that [the state tests] will “drive” teaching and learning toward constructivist, performance-based classrooms. (Jones & Whitford, 1997)