The Use and Abuse of School Testing

With the recent passage of the new federal education law, testing will increase. John Merrow, the author of "Achieving Excellence" and researched, wrote and narrated the "Frontline" segment "Testing Our Schools." He told NHPR's Jon Greenberg that tests work well when they have a tight connection to the courses that students take. The problem is, Merrow says, few states invest the time and money to do that. But Merrow emphasized that in some places, teachers and administrators welcome standards and standardized tests.