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Looking at Progress

Another benefit of annual testing is that it allows us to identify successful schools. Previously, we looked only at average test scores for states and sometimes for districts or schools. These scores gave us some information about school performance, but not the complete picture. Thanks to annual tests, we can look at a child's progress in each grade or class. We can consider how students perform from start to finish and can identify and reward schools that are truly helping their students make progress along the way.

For example, if children are neglected by a particular middle school, but their high school subsequently helps them catch up, the high school deserves recognition. More to the point, tests can help us identify the problems that need fixing while the students are still in the underperforming middle school, and thus we can make things better for future students by improving the middle school's teaching methods. Children who go to high school without having mastered elementary and middle school material will only fall further behind, and will find it harder to catch up. The president's plan anticipates correcting these kinds of problems early. Testing every year in grades three through eight will help us do that.

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Last updated—December 17, 2004 (jer)