About 30 years ago, Boston College professor, George Madaus, called for an "FDA for testing." The point was--and, sadly, is--that school testing was a huge industry totally unregulated. Since Madaus' proposal, the testing industry has exploded in size. And there is still no regulation, no oversight. "Tests are regulated less than the food we feed our pets," said the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.
The media assume that tests are valid and accept the claims made for them. If tests say American schools are lousy (they don't but fear mongers use them that way), then it must be so.
In fact, tests are so much a part of the educational air we breathe, we probably don't think of them as needing regulation. Just like we didn't think about regulating the quality of peanut butter--until recently.
Testing often tries to put on a white hat as part of the educational enterprise, trying to help kids succeed. In reality, the test companies are as full of greed and avarice as the financial sector or any other part of the economy. We don't notice it because...there is no regulation. Test companies make enormous claims for the ways in which their products will help your kid, or your school or your district. Is there any research to back up these claims? No. Are there any sanctions for overstating what the tests can do? No. Companies are totally free to claim whatever they wish.
The relationship between those who make tests and those who use them is way too cozy. In most other industries, such relationships would be banned as sources of conflict of interest.
A small, non-profit operation, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, universally referred to simply as FairTest, tries to keep an eye on the industry. Its goal is to end all misuse of standardized tests of which, there is today far, far too much. The evidence is all around, but can be seen in books such as Sharon Nichols' and David Berliner's Collateral Damage: How High-Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools. FairTest works to end this corruption.
It has no regulatory power and can only work to make people aware of problems by newsletters, by providing testimony to state school boards and legislatures, and, on occasion, by organizing for a cause. At the present time, perhaps its most important organizing effort has been one to bring about major changes in the federal No Child Left Behind law. To date, 149 organizations have signed a petition calling on congress to overhaul the law in ways such as to "replace the law's arbitrary proficiency targets..." and to "measure progress by using students' growth in achievement..."
As with many organizations in the current downturn, despite its successes as often the lone voice of rationality about testing, it is suffering cash flow problems and could use help. Go to www.fairtest.org and look around. If you think it's a worthwhile endeavor, hit the "Donate to FairTest" button on the home page.