From The Conversation · Liza Bondurant · · 1m 10s
Students take up to 88 tests before high school
More standardized tests don't improve student learning, research shows.
In brief
More standardized tests don't improve student learning, research shows. Students take up to 88 standardized tests before high school, but more testing doesn't improve learning. Originally reported by The Conversation.
Standardized testing in US schools
The public K-12 school system in the United States has become pervasively shaped by standardized testing.
No Child Left Behind law
I began teaching mathematics in 2005, four years after the federal law No Child Left Behind was enacted.
Curriculum changes
Most districts changed their curricula to focus more on the content and skills covered on state tests.
Time spent on tests
Teachers estimated spending an average of 14 out of 180 school days preparing students for these exams.
Test numbers
A 2026 study of 67 school districts across 38 states found that, before high school, students take a median of 57 state- and district-required assessments.
Teacher concerns
In a 2016 survey of K-12 public school teachers, 62% reported spending too much time preparing students for state-mandated tests.
Farmer's quote
You don’t get a pig to grow by measuring it more.
“You don’t get a pig to grow by measuring it more.”
The short version
Students take up to 88 standardized tests before high school, but more testing doesn't improve learning.
