State tests are a Trojan horse designed to kill school choice
In Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and beyond, opponents of school choice have sought to force public school tests on private schools participating in school choice programs. While they’ve been thwarted for now, proponents of education choice should remain ready to defend assessment choice. It’s what lets a school’s own academic standard, not a borrowed one, be the standard it’s judged by.
TL;DR
- Opponents of school choice aim to require private schools in choice programs to administer public school tests.
- State tests like TCAP are criterion-referenced to public school standards, which private schools may not follow.
- Using public school tests on private schools defeats the purpose of school choice, which offers diverse academic approaches.
- Nationally standardized assessments measure proficiency against a broad set of skills, providing a fair benchmark for various curricula.
- Arkansas's Education Freedom Account program successfully uses nationally standardized tests, showing students perform above the national norm.
- Forcing specific tests risks "institutional isomorphism," where private schools mimic public schools.
- Teachers tend to teach towards the content of available tests.