The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed with Standardized Testing—But You Don't Have To Be

Kamenetz's (lead education blogger, NPR; Generation Debt; DIY U) provocative, well-researched book looks at the $13 billion standardized testing industry. Controlled by a handful of companies, it determines grade promotion and graduation rates and has been shown to discriminate against minorities, the poor, and individuals with learning disabilities. The first part of the work examines frequent complaints: tests emphasize the wrong subjects, waste time and money, and make both teachers and students hate school. Also mentioned is that tests penalize diversity, result in teaching to the test, lead to cheating, and are full of errors. Important historical figures in standardized testing, such as Francis Galton, were undeniably racist, and Kamenetz, along with authors such as Diane Ravitch (The Death and Life of the Great American School System) and Alfie Kohn (The Case Against Standardized Testing), raises many concerns. What will be heartening to the parents and educators who read this book, however, is that Kamenetz doesn't stop there. She offers a range of solutions: opting out of tests, creating better and less frequent exams and testing unconventional but key qualities like mind-set and grit.