The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing But You Don't Have to Be - Hardcover

"Provocative, well-researched... With the Common Core upon us, this timely book should be required reading for anyone concerned with education today."--Library Journal, STARRED "The [anti-testing] movement now has a guidebook... It's publication could hardly have been better timed... Although The Test mounts a somewhat familiar case against standardized testing, to characterize it as simply a polemic would be to overlook the sophistication of Kamenetz's thinking... The book's most urgent contribution is its exploration of how we might hold our schools, teachers and students accountable if we were to scrap high stakes standardized testing entirely. As in her previous book, DIY U, Kamenetz is open to seemingly radical, technology-driven solutions." --The New York Times Book Review "Thorough research and illuminating interviews... With abundant data assembled in an accessible format, the book is a must-read for anyone in the educational system or any parent who has a child old enough to enter preschool... An informative and enlightening appraisal of the regimented tests that American schoolchildren of all ages are subjected to taking on a regular basis."--Kirkus Review "A readable, comprehensive overview of the historical background of testing, the policy considerations that have increased the occurrence of assessments, and problems this has caused... Acknowledging the need for assessment and accountability while dismantling many of the myths introduced by testing companies, Kamenetz offers powerful arguments against high-stakes standardized testing and provides an impartial critique of the current obsession with testing... A tremendous introduction to the field."--Choice "High stakes testing in our public schools puts enormous pressure on everyone in the system. Using real-- and often quite moving-- stories, Anya Kamenetz shows teachers, parents, administrators, and students how to survive, even thrive, in an education system that many understandably believe needs a course correction."-- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human "Anya Kamenetz's The Test is a fearless expose of how testing permeates our schools, our homes, even kids' psyches. People will be talking about this important, provocative book for years to come."-- Ashley Merryman, co-author of NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children and Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing

Standardized assessments test our children, our teachers, our schools,and increasingly, our patience.Your child is more than a score. But in the last twenty years, schools have dramatically increased standardized testing, sacrificing hours of classroom time. What is the cost to students, teachers, and families? How do we preserve space for self-directed learning and development,especially when we still want all children to hit the mark? The Test explores all sides of this problem,where these tests came from, their limitations and flaws, and ultimately what parents, teachers, and concerned citizens can do. It recounts the shocking history and tempestuous politics of testing and borrows strategies from fields as diverse as games, neuroscience, and ancient philosophy to help children cope. It presents the stories of families, teachers, and schools maneuvering within and beyond the existing educational system, playing and winning the testing game. And it offers a glimpse into a future of better tests. With an expert's depth, a writer's flair, and a hacker's creativity, Anya Kamenetz has written an essential book for any parent who has wondered: what do I do about all these tests?