Is High-Stakes Standardized Testing Defensible?
YES: Richard P. Phelps: “Why Testing Experts Hate Testing,” Fordham Report. NO: Peter Sacks: “Standardized Testing: Meritocracy’s Crooked Yardstick,” Change. Journalist Richard P. Phelps suggests that the criticisms directed at high-stakes standardized testing are misguided and do not hold up upon careful scrutiny. Peter Sacks, a journalist and essayist on education and American culture, argues that the penchant for high-stakes testing is counterproductive to meaningful teaching and learning and thus harmful to students.
