The debate crystallized early in 2001 when President Bush proposed his education plan, which the Administration calls No Child Left Behind. The centerpiece of the Bush plan requires states to annually test students in grades 3-8. The group says health care professionals and parents already report that test-related stress is literally making many children sick. I've been a school nurse for 20 years, and the stresses on children have worsened in that time. But this testing has greatly increased their anxiety level.
Test scores have meaning only in the context of the whole child.
More high-stakes testing means more dropouts, fewer good teachers. Parents have the right to know whether their children are truly learning. The only way for parents to know for certain whether their children are learning is to measure, and measure regularly. The committee cites a new poll conducted by the Winston Group, a Republican polling firm, which shows popular support for testing.