The difficulty lies in getting the policies done right. We need to recognize problems as they come up and work to solve them instead of giving up on higher standards and zero tolerance at the first sign of difficulty. Nearly every state is raising its standards for what kids should know and be able to do, and we're already seeing positive results. But there are problems. In too many places, school officials are relying too heavily on high-stakes tests to determine whether students are meeting standards.
Tests are valuable.
They provide a common measure of how well students are doing, and high-stakes tests give students a strong incentive to study hard. But it's wrong to have a single test determine whether students graduate. If we want to make higher standards work, teachers must understand what they are and how to teach to them. They need professional development coordinated with their state's standards and curriculum guidelines based on the standards. Tests have to reflect the curriculum.