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Testing OVERVIEW       ------------------------------------------ Testing: What Parents Need to Know       And No, There Won't Be a Test Over This Material -- But You Should Still Study It, For Your Child's Benefit ASSESSMENTS VS. TESTS       ------------------------------------------ Government-Required Testing       What Used to Be the Educators' Prerogative Is Now a Mandate STANDARDIZED       ------------------------------------------ How the Tests Drive the Curriculum       Standardized Tests "Back-Door" a Standardized Curriculum, But That May Not Be All Bad TEACHER CREATED       ------------------------------------------ Authentic Assessment: Portfolios, Etc.       Fun! Fun! Fun! But Are They a Valid Accountability Tool or Useful to Parents? TEST SCORES       ------------------------------------------ Understanding Test Scores       'Testing As a Second Language' Skills ACT / SAT ETC.       ------------------------------------------ The SAT and the ACT       Getting Knowledge About How Your Child Will Do in College NAEP / GLOBAL       ------------------------------------------ NAEP: The National Assessment of Educational Progress       How to Keep It a Useful Tool How Do Our Test Scores Stack Up Internationally?       Not Great, But You've Got to Know the Context, and Then They're Not So Bad EXIT EXAMS       ------------------------------------------ High-School Exit Exams: Worth the Fuss?       Or Should We Punt This Political Football? CONTROVERSIES       ------------------------------------------ Are Public Officials Explaining Test Scores Adequately?       If Not, They're In For a Public Relations Nightmare THE FUTURE       ------------------------------------------ Should States Just Opt Out of 'No Child Left Behind'?       Arizona Considers One Way to Get Out From Under These Tests

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