Measuring Up: Standards, Assessment, and School Reform

“The question that dismays all teachers and ought to concern every parent because of what it reveals about what school can do to a child’s curiosity — ?Will this be on the test?’ — will never be answered again in the same way. Bob Rothman offers a rich and compelling account of the unfolding revolution in testing in America’s schools.” — Richard P. Mills, Vermont commissioner of education An award-winning journalist, Rothman cuts through the assessment debate — a debate often characterized by misrepresentations and jargon — to offer a highly accessible examination of the shift in thinking about testing. He underscores that any change must begin with the And: what we want students to know and be able to do. Such changes demand a new way of knowing what students can achieve–and a system that enables them to achieve.