PTA does not oppose state or locally developed assessments, but does oppose federal legislation and regulations that mandate standardized testing or that would lead to such testing, and federal policies that mandate comparisons of states, school districts, or individual schools. It is the role of the federal government to assist state and local levels through researching better assessment models, collecting data, and reporting information based on a set of indicators. The National PTA believes that the overall goal of student assessment and testing programs should be to identify how instruction and learning can be improved. Assessments should be used to increase the opportunities for students, rather than deny opportunities through practices such as tracking or discrimination by gender, ethnicity, culture, or disability. The National PTA believes that valid assessment does not consist of only a single test score, and that at no time should a single test be considered the sole determinant of a student's academic or work future, for example, high school graduation, scholarship aid, honors programs, or college admissions.
Tests are only one facet of a sound assessment program.
Components of a sound assessment include instruments that are culturally and racially bias-free and in a language that students understand. Further, assessments should have multiple measures that are performance based, reflecting the different kinds of knowledge and skills that a student is expected to acquire. Return to Testing Issue Page. All Rights Reserved.