The Art of Testing

Educators are pushing for standardized assessments of knowledge in such subjects as painting and music. In today's high-stakes environment, they feel they have little choice.

A group of high school seniors sits tensely, about to take one of the highest-stakes tests of their K-12 years: They won’t be able to graduate until they pass, and their school’s state-level rating depends heavily on their scores. Arranging pencils and multiple-choice bubble sheets nervously atop their desks, they wait anxiously until, at their teacher’s signal, they open the test booklet to the first question.

“Which 1913 dance,” it asks, “was the first to incorporate a combination of slow and quick steps: waltz, flamenco, or fox trot?”

While standardized tests with questions like this are rare, arts educators across the country are rushing to endorse them. At a time when pressure to meet performance standards is surpassed only by pressure to keep budgets in the black, many see the assessments as a way to justify their budgets, ensure the future of the subject matter in their schools’ curriculum, and improve their...