He cites examples of test questions that he says don't match up with state standards. He believes the tests were designed to produce low scores so that educators could prove there's a crisis and implement the reforms they want. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said the tests have been painstakingly designed to match state standards - standards established by committees of Washington teachers, parents and community leaders. We're looking at our children and saying you've got to have a strong future. And they can't have it if we don't give them a higher level of skills.
Standardized tests are great for measuring some concepts, such as vocabulary or math computation.
But educators say they fail to give an accurate picture of other important skills, such as writing or mathematical reasoning. The new tests were developed by committees of Washington teachers, working with a professional test publisher, Riverside Publishing. And while the new tests do include multiple-choice questions, they also include short answer and extended response questions. Instead of a machine, the tests are graded by trained experts. That's one reason the grading takes all summer and results won't be reported until the fall.