Examines the statewide testing programs of North Carolina and Alaska, showing how the legislative goals, objectives, and expectations for these tests are seldom met. Such testing programs cannot realistically serve both accountability and achievement monitoring functions. (12 references) (MLH)

The United States is currently involved in a continuing controversy about how best to measure the education of children. President Bush and his Administration have pushed for a bevy of standardized assessments, the results of which would be used to reward high-scoring schools and punish low-scoring ones. State departments of education and school…