To accomplish that, some have proposed that we institute a system of costly annual tests to evaluate the effectiveness of our schools. I strongly oppose both a national curriculum which could accompany a national test and a federally unfunded mandate for testing that would be forced upon states. As a former Professor and Psychologist, I believe that only valid and reliable tests should be used to measure student achievement. I fear that many of our students will be harmed if tests are used inappropriately and students are judged unfairly. Educational testing should not be used to determine how much money a school district will be awarded as a bonus, or have taken away as a sanction.
Tests have the ability, if used correctly, to help students learn.
But if used incorrectly, they can be incredibly damaging and destructive. Kurt Landgraf, President of the Educational Testing Service, stresses that, if utilized correctly, tests can provide useful information about student achievement. Standardized tests should never be considered an adequate overall measure of the success of a school district. Furthermore, it is nonsensical to use such tests to compare districts which have vastly unequal instructional resources available to them. While some of our neighbors to the north enjoy campus-style high schools, there are students in southern Ohio who are forced to attend class in former janitor s closets and shower stalls.