Building student abilities for taking standardized tests has certainly become an issue as testing has become increasingly important in the U.S. educational system. How much emphasis should a school or district place on educating students to do well on such tests? It is certainly possible to spend too much school time learning to take tests, and the time for test preparation can certainly detract from other activities and experiences in the school curriculum. It is also possible to spend a great deal of money on test preparation materials that may prepare a student for a test that is not really relevant to the curriculum or to what he or she should be learning. States should make certain that they are using a good product as part of a state assessment program, and then they should ensure that schools are adhering to the state standards or objectives of instruction in teaching and learning. States have an obligation to make pilot studies of the tests they develop, just as they need to evaluate the chances of computer glitches in test scoring. The test results from students should be used to improve instruction and to improve the state standards. (SLD)