Standardized Testing

Education news, analysis, and opinion about assessments that allow for comparisons across students and groups of students
Wed., November 11, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Collage-style illustration of wires on a circuit board in two shades of blue on the left, with a paper with numbered answer keys with A through D options on the right side of the frame. The wires are reaching from left to right towards the answer keys.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Artificial Intelligence Opinion You Can Use AI to Create Assessments in a Snap. You Shouldn’t
Here are five reasons to be cautious about using AI to build, score, or interpret education tests.
Christina Cipriano, Corinne Huggins-Manley & Max Lu, November 2, 2026
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5 min read
Collage with a photo of a teenage student's eyes looking to the left. She's wearing glasses and holding her hands to her mouth. There's also slices of multiple choice test page bubbles breaking the photo up. The letters and question numbers on the test pages are facing multiple directions and are printed in red ink. There's a scribbled line above the top of the figure's head.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Assessment Opinion The Problem With Test Anxiety Happens Long Before the Test
"Calm down and you'll do fine" is the wrong advice. Here's what to tell students instead.
Alex Jordan & Ben Lovett, October 29, 2026
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4 min read
Mon., October 26, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a seventh grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. When teachers at the K-8 public school, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a 7th grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. The National Assessment of Educational Progress' 8th grade civics exam will soon receive its first update in 30 years.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Assessment The National Civics Test Is Getting an Update. Here's What Teachers Want on It
The nation's report card is updating its 8th grade civics exam for the first time in 30 years.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 25, 2026
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5 min read
Assessment Spotlight Screen Early, Monitor Progress: Building a Stronger Assessment System for Reading and Math
Screen early, track progress, and pinpoint learning gaps with smarter assessment strategies for reading and math.
September 15, 2026
Student Elias Albert gets help from Instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Michigan on Jan. 13, 2025 . AI allows teachers in Northville to provide students with content for a class assignment and then adjust the levels for each student based on their English proficiency, officials said.
Student Elias Albert gets help from instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 13, 2025. Statewide assessments in students' native languages are another accommodation states have on hand to help English learners.
Daniel Mears/The Detroit News via TNS
English Learners Which States Test English Learners in Their Native Languages?
In 2025 the Migration Policy Institute analyzed states' use of native language assessments.
Ileana Najarro, Maya Riser-Kositsky & Gina Tomko, August 19, 2026
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2 min read
A student takes an assessment.
Paper-and-pencil assessments have been replaced by digital versions in many schools across the country. But two school districts in New Mexico are pushing back against a state-required digital reading assessment that uses artificial intelligence. They argue that it raises serious student data privacy concerns.
John Pendygraft/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
Artificial Intelligence School Districts Push Back Against State-Required AI Reading Assessments
Two school districts in New Mexico say the assessments could jeopardize students' data privacy.
Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal, August 4, 2026
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4 min read
Second-grade teacher Eric Langsev helps a student with a reading lesson at Global Academy in New Brighton, Minn. on Nov. 10, 2025. More than half of the students there are English learners, and many are new to the U.S.
Second-grade teacher Eric Langsev helps a student with a reading lesson at Global Academy in New Brighton, Minn. on Nov. 10, 2025. More than half of the students there are English learners, and many are new to the United States. Not all states offer tests in newcomers' home languages.
Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
English Learners Why Standardized Tests in English Fall Short for English Learners
The Migration Policy Institute found 35 states and the District of Columbia offer native language assessments.
Ileana Najarro, July 29, 2026
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3 min read
Albertville City Schools has one of the state's largest populations of immigrant students on June 11, 2025 in Albertville, located in northeast Alabama. More than a third of students are English learners.
Albertville City Schools has one of the state's largest populations of immigrant students on June 11, 2025 in Albertville, located in northeast Alabama. More than a third of students are English learners. Not all states offer assessments in English learners' native languages.
Rebecca Griesbach
English Learners These States Now Offer Tests for English Learners in Their Native Languages
Native language assessments can help capture English learners' academic knowledge.
Ileana Najarro, July 29, 2026
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1 min read
As part of Portland Parks environmental education, preschoolers and their parents take part in a guided nature hike through Laurelhurst Park on Feb. 13, 2026. Fewer than 60% of Oregon parents report their young child has hit milestones to be ready for kindergarten.
Preschoolers and their parents take part in a Portland Parks guided nature hike through Laurelhurst Park in Oregon on Feb. 13, 2026. A growing number of preschools nationwide rely on early assessments to gauge baseline development and progress. But many teachers express concerns.
Ross William Hamilton/oregonlive.com via TNS
Early Childhood Too Young to Test? How Teachers Feel About Early Childhood Assessments
A growing number of early elementary public school students are required to take assessments.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 28, 2026
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5 min read
Yamileth Escalera tosses a red foam cube into a container full of water during a pre-K prep program at Castleberry Elementary School in Fort Worth on June 29, 2026. The students had to guess whether their chosen object would float or sink when dropped in water.
During a pre-K prep program at Castleberry Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 29, 2026, Yamileth Escalera tosses a red foam cube into a container of water as part of an activity where students guess whether their chosen object will float or sink. Increasingly, students in pre-K and kindergarten are required to complete standardized assessments to measure their development and preparedness.
Elvis Martinez-Cartagena/Fort Worth Star-Telegram via TNS
Early Childhood Q&A This State Has a New Kindergarten Assessment—No Computer, Pen or Paper Required
The assessment evaluates 16 items in four separate foundational skills categories.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 24, 2026
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8 min read
Group spreads college gospelAlex Lucas, right, a college adviser at Dalton L. McMichael High School in Mayodan, N.C., works with junior Chloe Lester during an ACT Prep session after school, March 11, 2014.
Alex Lucas, right, a college adviser at Dalton L. McMichael High School in Mayodan, N.C., works with junior Chloe Lester during an ACT prep session after school on March 11, 2014. ETS, another assessment organization, is acquiring ACT—though nothing will immediately change for students taking the ACT's college-entrance exam.
Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News &amp; Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty <br/>
Assessment ETS Acquires ACT, Signaling Potential Changes for College-Admissions Testing
ETS will acquire ACT, the assessment company known for its college-entrance exam.
Sarah Schwartz, June 30, 2026
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3 min read
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The civics ed. field is ready to update the framework of an exam that dates back. Brochures at a conference on America's 250th anniversary are shown in Philadelphia, on Feb. 7, 2026.
Matthew Ludak for Education Week
Social Studies Q&A The Only National Civics Test Dates Back Decades. What Aspects Need to Change?
The test needs to factor in more recent developments such as the widespread use of social media.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 21, 2026
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4 min read