The Test Must Go On: State Assessments Undergoing Transition

Examiner: “Will this affect my grade?” “How soon will I know what I scored?” “What happens to me if I don't do well?”
These kinds of questions, asked by kids about the standardized tests they endure each spring, are stumpers for a teacher. What do you say to justify an assessment that is poorly timed for practical use, narrowly written to assess only a fraction of real learning, and largely derided as a gimmick to make testing companies boatloads of money at the expense of instructional time?

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