Dive Brief:

• A new study of 66 districts by the Council of the Great City Schools finds no correlation between time spent testing and improved math and reading scores.
• The in-depth report collected data for two years and offers hard proof that some standardized tests are redundant, while other tests have been used for purposes they weren’t meant for.
• On the heels of the Obama administration admitting students spend too much time on tests, the report offers clear evidence supporting proposed caps. 

Dive Insight:

Following this weekend’s announcement from President Barack Obama that standardized testing needs to be scaled back, this new study is timely and relevant. It’s one of few that measure the use of student classroom time over a length of time. It also offers new data that bolster arguments against standardized testing mandates.

The report has been two years in the making. In 2013, the board of directors for the Council of the Great City Schools commissioned the study, which found overall that tests are "redundant, misaligned with college- and career-ready standards, and often don't address students' mastery of specific content."

As for who's at fault for the testing failures, the study spreads blame equally among teachers, principals, districts, states, the federal government, and testing companies.