If they do, they will be able to seize the tremendous opportunities at home or anywhere else in the world. Every state can adopt standards of learning, and those standards should be high and clear. To be effective, however, measurements must be in place to tell parents, taxpayers and policymakers whether students are actually learning those subjects. This goal is accomplished through testing. In 1996 and 1997, Virginia instituted testing in the third, fifth and eighth grades, and at the end of high school courses.
Social promotion is no longer acceptable.
The point of accountability is not to be punitive toward either students or schools but to ensure that when a student is awarded a diploma, it means that the student has obtained the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to be successful. Restoring value and credibility to a high school diploma is good for our students, good for our economic future and good for our society as a whole. Through testing we can measure students' academic proficiency and progress. As a result, we are able to give parents a clear, tangible assessment of how well their children are learning the basic subjects. Working with parents, we can reinforce and encourage those who are succeeding.