I really don't think standardized testing is enough. All it does is encourage teachers to "teach to the test" and drill facts into the students heads over and over. This results in a lacking in creative and abstract thinking, which are essential to building knowledge and lifetime learning. (And as a current student, I know from firsthand how ineffective that drilling is)

Education is something that should be structured in a way that can be tailored as much as possible to each student. And education is not just learning facts, its learning how to learn and think and problem solve--all things that cannot be measured by a standardized test. Therefore, progress should be measured against the student. As in schools need to be keeping in-depth records of the students' work, along with comments made by both the student, parents, and teachers on what the student is doing well on and not so well on. Then when it is time to measure progress, review those records over the course of the past few months and years. This is similar to what health11 said, but I believe in getting rid of standardized testing, or at least GREATLY reducing it, and I would create an emphasis on comprehension and thought-processing and less of an emphasis on memorizing random facts.

Honestly I don't think standardized test do anything. You have to take in that some of these students didn't sleep well the night before, is having a bad day, don't do well on tests, is nervous, or maybe they just don't feel all that well. Not everyone is going to be in the right condition to take these tests.

I do NOT believe standardized testing is enough to determine if a child is making progress, and it should definitely not be a large factor in teacher's pay. EVERY child deserves to move forward from wherever they start on the learning curve...It is not appropriate for a teacher to get all the credit for a student who is self-motivated and came into a classroom with the ability to pass a standardized test from "day 1," nor is it fair for a struggling child to be considered a failure if a teacher isn't using appropriate methods of instruction. (Curriculum is usually chosen at a district level, not by individual teachers.) Granted, a lousy teacher, even when provided with good curriculum, will still not be effective, but I think it's a mistake to look at standardized test scores of a given class and try to decide if that class has a good teacher, or to decide if students are making good progress.

Only by looking over a student's evaluation results over a period of months/years can one really determine if that child is progressing. In addition to standardized test scores, I'd like to see teachers keep "portfolios" of students' work that is copied and shared with parents at every grade level, and passed on to teachers at the next grade level... I know it sounds like "more work" but then I think you'd have a better option for "checks and balances" because parents and teachers would be able to SEE what the kids are capable of at the start, and how (or if) they're progressing....

Anonymous:

The appropriate way to judge students progress is when most students in a class learn and "mastered" more than ninety percent of the materials and the grade level concepts.

Yes, standardized test is enough based on what you want form students, teachers, and the society. May not be perfect, but it helps in many instances.

Remember, the positive or negative result of most standardized test is the byproduct of the presentation and teaching of the necessary skills.

Teachers, parents, and students' many years of preparation have a great influence on how students perform on these tests.

Great question!