Standardized tests? These two words are being heard by students all over the world and are starting to be a repetitive and non-constructive assessment. The school board relies on this non-constructive assessment to somehow evaluate students accurately on a subject that is taught in a short amount of time. This is a two-week period that does not give teachers or students enough time to learn or teach it. This is harmful to the student body because it does not allow for adequate assessment. Over the last century, American education has used standardized tests to evaluate the aptitude and achievement of our students. These tests were used to make informed decisions about curriculum and instruction. The validity of the tests has been questioned. Standardized timed tests are really only about a student's performance in a given period of time on a given day. “The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 is responsible for this shift toward high-stakes standardized testing, which requires states to adopt an accountability system based on standardized test scores” (Tager, np). The school's standardized test scores are high, people think the school staff is effective. If a school's test scores are low, they see the school's staff as ineffective. In both respects, because the quality of education is measured by the wrong yardstick, such assessments are more likely to be a mistake. One of the main reasons why student test scores continue to be the most important factor in evaluating a school. Most educators don't truly understand why a standardized test provides a misleading estimate of school staff effectiveness. The main point that children go to school... middle of paper... Lu. "States reconsider Common Core tests." McClatchy - Tribune News Service. January 26, 2014 eLibrary. Network. February 11, 2014. Tager, Jane Anne. “Standardized tests, standardized mess.” Asheville Citizen - Times; Asheville, North Carolina. May 19th. 2013: A21. eLibrary. Network. February 11, 2014. "Big City Schools Board Big City Schools Board holds press conference on its urban school district performance report." Np: Narr. . Federal Records Clearinghouse, March 28, 2005. Page No. Network. February 17, 2014.Lestch, Corinne, Ben Chapman and Jennifer Fermino. “Scores of city students see dramatic decline on new standardized tests.” New York Daily News. Np, 7 August 2013. Web. 17 February 2014. Bui, Lynh and Ovetta Wiggins. “State test scores decline as Maryland schools prepare for Common Core.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, July 26, 2013. Web. February 17. 2014.