Educational Tests Worth Keeping

Beginning of article

It's unusual to spend more than 10 minutes talking with the parents of a school-age child and not hear about testing. Next to smaller classes and safe schools, testing has become one of the most discussed education issues of the decade.

Parents, teachers, and students are all talking about the time spent taking tests, and the greater emphasis schools are placing on test scores. Judging from the tenor of the discussion, it appears that a backlash has emerged against testing. There are calls to modify state assessment programs and, in some cases, to do away with them.

While some modifications may be in order, I hope the backlash isn't strong enough to eliminate …