Why we need standardized tests

Through Joanne Jacobs comes this posting by Kimberly Swygert of Number 2 Pencil about a New Orleans high school valedictorian who failed to pass that state’s Graduate Exit Exam. Although Bridget Green passed the English portion of the test, she bombed on the math portion, failing to meet the requirement after five attempts. On the standardized ACT test, Valedictorian Green’s score was in the first percentile – that is, 99% of all test-takers performed better.

Critics of standardized tests (like the MCAS here in Massachusetts) often complain that it forces teachers to “teach to the test.” Well, the alternative of setting no objective standards leads to students that can’t read or add. Which is more intolerable?