The norm-referenced test is a comparison tool, however the connection between the test and the child's curriculum may be weak. Frequently there will be legitimate gaps between test scores and classroom grades. If there is a gap, parents should go to the teacher with the intent to seek information and knowledge about what might be causing the discrepancy rather than to call the teacher to task. Parents of younger children are very concerned about the emotional impact on their children. They are worried that their kids will be unduly stressed and frustrated, and will feel bad about themselves.
Many parents believe increased testing is a waste of time and money, detracting from real teaching.
There are concerns about teaching only to the test. At the high school level, parents are concerned that their kids can have years of professional assessments that indicated they were doing fine then based on one score, the student may be unable to graduate. There are different concerns for parents of children with learning disabilities and those with reading difficulties. Regardless of a child's intelligence and knowledge, if he struggles with reading he will do poorly on the tests. And children for whom English is not a first language face another set of concerns.