Defending Standardized Testing » (1st Edition)

Although the American public is in favor of it, and it is also part of the administration of the No Child Left Behind Act, it would appear that the majority of professions in the field doubt if standardized testing is of much value in education. According to the contributors of these 12 essays, many objections to standardized testing are based on emotion or self-interest. They admit that standardized testing has limitations and suggest improvements but also maintain that the data from standardized testing is valuable at many levels. Coverage includes the history of standardized testing, the special case of high-stakes testing, the literature on benefits, misconceptions, typically unasked questions, "teaching to the test," and issues of ethnicity, disability and school accountability. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

PsycCRITIQUES

"Defending Standardized Testing is an easy to read book, and the topics are even easier to follow. I think this is mainly because of the logical and meaningful way the editor chose to organize the information. This book provides a balanced approach to understanding the role of testing in general and standardized testing in particular. It will help the reader identify and understand some of the current debates within the community of testing experts."