Research

The American Educational Research Association has joined the growing ranks of national groups urging caution in the nationwide movement toward high-stakes student tests.

Representing 23,000 researchers, the Washington-based group rarely takes a stand on controversial issues. But its leaders said they were moved to take action on the testing issue because districts and states are ignoring professional testing standards in their zeal to improve learning.

"In cases where high-stakes testing programs are implemented in the absence of appropriate educational resources or in situations where the tests are flawed in design or interpretation," a statement from the AERA says, "reliance on misleading or misrepresentative results...