Dive Brief:
- In a poll from the Huffington Post and YouGov, 56% of Americans said that states, rather than the federal government, should determine how standardized testing is used in schools.
- Currently, the federal government mandates annual testing regimens in math and reading, and only 21% of respondents said the federal government should retain control.
- As for quantity of testing, 47% of respondents said that they think students take too many standardized tests, and only 11% said they don’t take enough.
Dive Insight:
The Americans surveyed could get at least part of what they want if a bill to overhaul No Child Left Behind passes. The Bush-era law put annual federal testing requirements in place and precipitated the shift toward high-stakes accountability measures. This poll indicates that most Americans would like to move away from that, at least in part.
Under both the House and Senate rewrites, states would gain more control over testing. The bills place the creation and implementation of accountability systems tied to testing in the hands of state officials, as well. But they also maintain the annual testing schedule for grades 3-8, and mandate at least one reading and math exam for grades 9-12.
