Michael Petrilli's assessment of national testing is good as far as it goes. Conservative enthusiasm for national testing is favorable as long as there is a presumption that the things tested are rigorous and the grading objective. When the issue initially came up years ago, we had had a spate of local testing that only partially focused on such rigorous studies. There was also testing on issues of "respect," "sexual awareness," and a range of other politically correct topics. The tests were often graded by pools of educational professionals who, in effect, were grading their own performance. Not a great framework for assessment. On top of that, students were given differing time frames to complete the test. Conservatives have short memories and liberals have a penchant for stacking the bureaucracy, particularly the educational one. If we have national testing, be it federally mandated or state organized, you-know-who will be making the decisions about what is on the test, how it is graded, and how long it takes. When that happens, as it inevitably will, conservatives will once again have been snookered, as they often are, and all their protestations will be to no avail.
Bob Bell
Former school board member
Brooklyn, NY