Can Tests Lead the Way To Excellence?

The following is the first in a series of essays this spring that will serve as a prelude to Education Week's first Commentary special. "Toward a National Framework: Goals, Standards, and Tests'' will examine issues raised by a proposed national system of assessments. The special section has been made possible by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation and will appear at the end of the publishing year.

By Gregory R. Anrig

We may be repeating a perennial mistake in education. Namely, that testing is the sure-fire way to produce high-quality instruction and...