Share your story: High stakes testing

Educators and parents alike want carefully designed assessments that fairly evaluate student growth and help improve teacher practices. But standardized tests that are not aligned to curricula and standards and don’t provide useful data aren’t good for kids or schools. In fact, many are only good for the bottom lines of the companies that produce them.

NEA believes that if we want a robust assessment system designed to help all students, we must allow educators, parents, students, and communities to participate in the conversation. Students deserve assessments that:

• Are closely aligned with high standards and classroom curricula;
• Provide timely data to help improve student learning;
• Are comprehensive and flexible so that they do not result in the narrowing of the curriculum; and
• Incorporate critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Help us keep this critical national conversation going by sharing your stories. How have you seen high-stakes standardized tests affect your students or your own children? What can local, state and national policy makers do to help? If you’re organizing a protest or petition, be sure to tell us about it!