Even though it often feels like standardized testing is a relatively recent phenomena, it has been around at least since the 1800s, when in China, those that wanted a government job were required to take a test on their expertise of Confucian philosophy and poetry. During the Industrial Revolution, standardized tests were a quick way to test large numbers of people. During WWI, Army servicemen were given aptitude tests to determine where their talents could be best utilized. In the 1930s, the SAT was designed and in the 1950s, its cousin, the ACT, was launched (Fletcher, 2009). In 2001, with the passage of "No Child Left Behind," high stakes standardized testing in schools became a regular part of the educational landscape. This approach reflects the world outside of school where people are required to take standardized tests for things like driver's and professional licenses, job skills and promotions. Regardless of whether or not one agrees with mandated testing, it is a reality. Students, teachers and school districts are held accountable for the tests' results. The initial effects of standardized testing were to compare students with their peers and determine how much curriculum students had learned so that the instructional program could be improved. Today the results are often being used to make decisions about students' grade promotion and high school graduation. (Contains 8 online resources.)