ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the standards-based education is a rapidly growing movement within the larger movement of educational reform. Effective teachers do not allow hot-button issues to shift their focus from what really matters. Effective teachers never allow their personal views regarding standardized testing to affect discussions they might have with their students, parents, or even peers. Effective teachers recognize that state standards force them to shift the focus from the textbook to the actual curriculum and student learning. Great teachers do not merely hold up standards and watch students make their way toward them; instead, they remain at their student's side, helping them to develop the skills they need to meet the standards. The author maintains that it is time to stop debating the merits of standardized testing and focus instead on educator's behaviors related to the issue of testing.
