Tests don't generate higher academic performance. The administration and Education Department have talked as if a new national test will create better students. New national tests could lead to a national curriculum. In developing new assessments, there is a tendency to create new curriculum to match those assessments. But a national curriculum is something Americans don't want and don't need.
Local control is a hallmark of American education.
Unlike the NAEP tests, which are governed by an independent board, these new tests will come from the U.S. Department of Education. That puts the department in an extremely powerful position in our local schools. Instead of developing new national tests, I want to direct federal resources to family literacy and preschool readiness. I also want to take steps to improve teacher preparation and improve the teaching and learning conditions in our schools. Those should be our priorities - not more testing.