I am not going to enter the debate about the necessity of standard testing
to improve the educational process, except to say that those who oppose
testing should propose a better method.
I can tell you something about the construction methods for a test. I
recently served on a panel of active teachers convened to review a standardized
test for use in New Mexico. I was prepared to battle undereducated
teachers to make sure the science was correct. I can away impressed with the
insight, teaching expertise, and knowledge which the group with which I was
associated brought to the task of making sure the test was relevant, standards
based, free from bias, and able to distinguish knowledgeable students from
those deficient.