Testing in American Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Testing in American Schools - Essay Example Yet, America's education system is in the luxurious position of being able to have it both ways. While we are in the process of overhauling our system, we should institute a set of well-rounded requirements that take their rightful place next to testing. Supporters of testing as the primary measurement of a student's progress state that testing is the most efficient way to measure the student's strengths and weaknesses. Rod Paige, former Secretary of Education, reported that mandatory testing under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act has resulted in improved student performance and a narrowing of the gap between minorities and whites (2). Mandated testing has held schools responsible for their performance and has resulted in greater accountability within the system (Paige, 1). By pointing out the weaknesses through testing, America can improve, "...accountability and teacher quality, thereby improving the quality, inclusivity, fairness and justice of American education" (Paige 2). Opponents of the NCLB act state that testing is an unreliable and one-dimensional picture of a student's total educational accomplishments.