This paper considers the size of the marketplace for education testing. The discussion is focused on commercial standardized achievement tests produced for the elementary and secondary market, the "Elhi" market. A few testing companies now account for the bulk of the test sales in the Elhi market, but it is difficult to obtain exact…

Calls for school reform and performance have crested and receded many times this century. Establishing rigorous academic standards will revolutionize education and improve equity, and standards enjoy popular support. Standards require: (1) proficiency by students of all grades in a variety of subjects; (2) assessment testing; and (3) cooperation…

The major cause of stress in private schools is ambiguity, according to this administrator, including ambiguity about teachers' status, roles, and commitment as well as about alumni attitudes, academic curricula, educational change, standardized tests, the purposes of a private education, and tuition tax credits. (RW)

The opinions of several educators--including Albert Shanker and Harold Howe, II--on testing legislation and the Nader Report are presented. Criticisms of measurement and its use in the admissions process are put into perspective. (Author/MLW)

Examines the positions of different interest groups and corporations regarding the use of standardized test scores for determining educational achievement and advancement. (GC)

Reviews the possible dangers of mandated competency testing and suggests some alternatives. (JM)

Reflects on a long career concerning teaching and testing at the secondary and college level. Talks about the relationship between secondary school testing and preparation, college entrance standards, and trends in college course organization and testing. (TB)

Contends that assessment should be about improving instruction. Proposes that educators should be informed about the benefits and limitations of both alternative assessments and standardized tests. Informs educators of Internet resources available to assist in this endeavor. Provides an annotated list of 16 Web sites that provide general…

Presents in "journal entry" form, one year of teaching in particular that stands out as the year the author shifted from teaching facts to teaching children. Concludes that preparing students to perform well on standardized tests does not have to be separate from good teaching and authentic learning. (SG)

Discusses four different paths that literature can take: the positive path; the negative path; the creative path; and the transformative path. Concludes that a literature curriculum that invites transformation, justice, and healing to happen points in stark contrast to how truly inadequate standards-based, test-driven education is to addressing…

Reviews the limitations of large-scale testing, as indicated by the Commission on Testing and Public Policy. Suggests implications for elementary language arts teachers, administrators, and teacher educators. Concludes with predictions regarding the state of assessment in the year 2000. (MG)

Comments on the negative aspects of discipline-based art education (DBAE), focusing on standardized instruction and testing. Criticizes the designers of DBAE for using a technocratic, rationalistic model of education. Expresses concern that DBAE evokes identical student responses, rather than the diverse outcomes that should be the goal of art…

In conjunction with testing mandates, some states have developed new measures intended to reflect changes in thinking about reading. Discusses, in dialogue form, whether these new measures support educational improvement or limit them. (BJV)

Belief systems underlying assessment practices have thwarted curriculum reform efforts by promoting a narrow curriculum focus and emphasizing memorization and rote application. Authentic assessment in conjunction with standardized testing may more comprehensively evaluate student performance. Many educators' belief systems may be incompatible with…

Two cases are reported to illustrate the ways in which standardized tests fail blind children. Other assessment devices are recommended to allow a child to demonstrate how he or she makes sense of the world, such as observational techniques, interviews, structured teaching, exploration, and play. (Author/JDD)