Every adult remembers what their SATs and ACTs were like. For many, the days leading up to the tests felt like something straight out of a nightmare. Even now, not much has changed. So many students struggle with the heavy side serving of stress, anxiety, and pressure that these tests usually come with.  So, how […] … learn more→

About one in four 11th-graders in Colorado exercised their right to skip the state’s official science test each year between 2016 and 2019. More specifically, between 23 percent and 27 percent of 11th-graders did not participate in the science exam during those years. That’s what we found in a study published in AERA Open. Our study was based on a geographical analysis […] … learn more→

The standardized tests given to children in schools today are a lot different from those their parents might remember. For example, students today might take a standardized test at home on a laptop or other digital device. That test is more likely than before to incorporate content on diverse cultural heritages. And students taking a test may not […] … learn more→

Despite the many ways that COVID-19 has disrupted schools, the U.S. Department of Education will not give states a pass on giving standardized tests to students this year as it did in spring 2020. That’s according to new guidance the department issued Feb. 22. The guidance invites states to request waivers to shorten tests, give the tests in the […] … learn more→

When colleges and universities began to make the SAT an optional part of the admissions process, the hope was that it would expand access to the nation’s most selective institutions to groups that had historically been shut out. The reality is – at least at selective liberal arts colleges – the decision by a growing number of […] … learn more→

“Fill in the bubble” tests have been a fact of life in our government-run school system for a generation or two now. I certainly remember taking them every few years, and then the biggie, the SAT, in my last year of high school. Like everything government-run (see also: vaccinations), the bureaucracy has imposed ever more […] … learn more→