Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

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Handouts
	Why Test Students?
	What Parents Should Know About Test Types
	Effects of State Testing
	Helping Your Child Perform Well on Tests
	Test Taking
	What Parents Should Know About Test Accuracy and Use
	Testing Students with Learning Disabilities
	Achievement Gaps in Our Schools
	Using Student Tests to Measure Teacher Quality
	Making Sense of Test Scores
	No Child Left Behind

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Description
Several participants volunteer to read aloud a short play, dramatizing different perspectives about standardized testing. The views expressed by the characters in the play (2 parents, a teacher, and the principal) successfully introduce some of the wide range of issues that exist around standardized testing. The 10-minute play is followed by a group brainstorm in which participants name the issues that emerged in the play as well as things they themselves wonder about. In addition to serving as a relatively fun and engaging way to bring up serious issues, the play also serves as a device for introducing issues that participants might be shy about raising.

Use
The purpose is to raise a full range of issues about testing, so it should not be used as a stand-alone experience. Follow it with any of the other tools that address standardized testing, such as: Testing Tales: Discussing the Full Range of Results; or the PowerPoint, What is Standardized Testing?; or a discussion about standardized testing.