Standardized Testing Problems

I really enjoyed reading a study I found on Partnerships for Smarter Schools.org.  It discussed the negatives of standardized testing and practically put my exact thoughts into words. I am against the huge emphasis we place on standardized tests in education today, and like our book states, I think "major decisions are being made from the result of one test score," and they shouldn't be. The piece that I found online goes into depth about why standardized tests currently exist, and it does a great job of drawing attention to counter-arguments that people may have about standardized testing. This piece is very opinionated toward one side, but I like how it addresses any unbiased person's questions. It states common questions people have about these extremely "important" tests. My favorite part of the piece though, is it's explanation of how these tests don't actually access students on what they should be examined on. Standardized tests are more about being the best test-taker or knowing the best strategies for big tests, and that's wrong. For something that is so important for students of all ages to do well on, the way it's being done is ridiculous.