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Podcast

#964: Why states should keep testing, with Scott Marion

Scott Marion Michael J. Petrilli Adam Tyner, Ph.D. David Griffith, Ph.D.
4.9.2025
 

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Scott Marion, Executive Director of the Center for Assessment, joins Mike and David to discuss why states should maintain annual assessments—even if the Trump Administration waives some federal testing requirements. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam reviews a study comparing surveys and test scores as measures of school quality and predictors of long-term student success.

Recommended content:

  • The Case for State Testing, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).
  • The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems, The National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment, Inc., (March 2025).
  • Victoria McDougald, “The case for standardized testing,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (August 1, 2024).
  • Michael J. Petrilli, “The best colleges for political diversity,” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (April 3, 2025).
  • Joshua Angrist, Peter Hull, Russell Legate-Yang, Parag A. Pathak and Christopher R. Walters, Putting School Surveys to the Test, NBER (2025)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at [email protected]. 

Policy Priority:
Standards & Accountability
Topics:
Accountability & Testing

Scott Marion is the president and executive director of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.

President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, host of the…

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Adam Tyner was a member of the Fordham Institute's national research team from 2017 to 2025. In 2025 he became executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma.

David Griffith is the National Research Director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he manages or authors reports on various subjects including charter schools, …

View Full Bio

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