9 Reasons Annual State Assessments Are Actually Super Valuable

Having high-quality tests to measure and assess achievement year by year is super important. Here are 9 reasons why:

1. Many states have adopted new tests that are in sync with their standards so they assess what kids are actually supposed to have learned in each grade.

Daily Edge / Via dailyedge.ie

2. These new assessments are better aligned and more in-depth, making it easier to see that students are on track to be ready for success in college, careers, and beyond!

giphy.com / Via giphy.com

3. Results from the assessments give parents valuable information about how their kids are doing.

bevisible.soy / Via blog.bevisible.soy

These score reports puts student performance in perspective with their peers and other students in the state. Learning Heroes' Ready for the Test is a great resource for parents.

4. Assessments also give teachers valuable information about how kids are doing and where they might need a little extra support.

realclear.com / Via images.realclear.com

Hear more from this New Jersey teacher.

5. Assessments also give local policymakers and taxpayers information about schools' overall performance and how to allocate extra resources.

wikia / Via img4.wikia.nocookie.net

6. A survey found that a vast majority of teachers of the year think the new and improved assessments are worth taking.

nbcparksandrec.tumblr.com / Via nbcparksandrec

In the survey, teachers reported that the new assessments include items that better measure cognitive complexity and are better align with the kinds of strong instructional practices these expert teachers believe should be used in the classroom.

7. Colleges are starting to use the results to see if their newly accepted students need to take remedial courses.

tumblr / Via tumblr.com

8. Finding out your kid isn't ready for college level work once they get there costs students and families spend nearly $1.5 billion per year!

HuffingtonPost / Via images.huffingtonpost.com

Spending money for college courses on topics your kid should have learned in high school can be avoided. Annual assessments help tell you if your student is on track according to grade level and college-readiness expectations.

9. Yes! There are too many tests. But as you can see, these annual state tests are valuable, and not the ones parents should be opting out of.

gihpy / Via media.giphy.com

It’s definitely true that some schools and districts administer far too many additional assessments to students, and it’s a problem that should be addressed at the local level, to see which tests are really needed. The New York Times explained this perfectly last year.