Standardized Testing and No Child Left Behind :: Standardized Testing Essays

Policy Identification and Explanation Every year, students are required to participate in standardized testing. Why would each student be forced to take such tests every year? This is because of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB). In the NCLB Act of 2001 Public Law 107-110 115 Stat. 1445-6, it states that, â€Å"each state plan shall demonstrate that the state has adopted challenging academic content standards and challenging student academic achievement standards that will be used by the state, its local educational agencies, and its schools to carry of this part† (The NCLB LAW). The NCLB Act of 2001 Public Law 107-110 115 Stat. 1445-6 is based on the development of state content and academic achievement standards which are measured by state assessments and compared to the â€Å"adequate yearly progress† expectations. Each state is allowed to develop their own standards. History/Background Standardized tests date back as far as 2200BC, when the Chinese government administered written exams to candidates interested in being in the Civil Services (Young, 2005). The exams were mostly memorization of established wisdom. By 1803, exams were widespread throughout Europe as a way to get into a respected college. Standardized tests didn’t appear in the United States until the mid 19th century. Written exams were introduced in Boston in 1845 for government funded schools and in 1851, Harvard started the first entrance exams. From 1900-1915, psychology was a big influence on the tests that were administered. During this time, Lewis Terman helped expand Alfred Binet’s ideas about an intelligence test. This later, in 1916 became known as the IQ test. In 1926, colleges began using the SAT, a multiple-choice exam. This was a great advancement in the form of standardized tests. The SAT made grading easier and the testing more consistent. The SAT replaced any written test for college entry. For the next 19 years, the number of IQ tests increased substantially (Young, 2005). During these 19 years, different tests are created from the inkblot tests to the scholastic multiple choice test. At the start of the 1960’s, a book was published called, The Tyranny of Testing (Young, 2005). This book started the criticism due to the issue of standardized testing. The strongest criticism was standardized testing wasn’t helping students to achieve and reach their full potential. This statement was backed by the Russians launching of Sputnik in 1957. American’s began to wonder why the Russians had beaten us into space.