The previously mentioned research on the variation among ACT scores of students who were in the top quartile according to their eighth-grade TCAP scores is a particularly good example of why this is so. The fact that there is great variation in academic attainment of students of similar ability depending on where they attend high school is valuable information, to be sure, but it is impossible to know from one omnibus test what went wrong in which class under which teacher that would account for the fact that some very bright students end up scoring considerably lower as seniors than their academic peers in the eighth grade do. As more and more states codify academic standards that all students are expected to meet, the question of responsibility becomes paramount. If students are responsible for attaining the standards, then teachers are responsible for teaching them. If students have differing abilities to learn, then somehow all must still be presented with the opportunity to learn.
Responsible assessment is a necessary component of responsible teaching and learning.
Any educational assessment system is limited if it does not provide measures of the effects of schools, school systems, and teachers on the academic growth of students. Without this information, educational improvement efforts cannot address the real factors that have been proven to have the greatest effect on student learning. Assessment systems of appropriate tests and methodologies for analyzing them are now available. It is through these new assessment systems that take into account the impact of educational experiences in the school and in the individual classroom that the promise of effective education for all students can come closer to realization.