State Test Questions Focus of Renewed Scrutiny

By Millicent Lawton

The decision to revamp an old testing program or to start a new one is the easy part for states looking to make educators more accountable for student achievement.

The hard part is getting parents, politicians, and educators to agree on the best way to measure what students know and are able to do.

Many states that are putting in place new testing programs or overhauling old ones are caught up such conflicts: What types of questions best measure student achievement? Is the test going to positively influence classroom practice and learning? How do the decisions play...