ABSTRACT
Today these instruments play an increasing role in classroom assessment, displacing informed teacher assessments as the basis for instructional decisions (Madaus, 1988). Although we will criticize the misuse of these instruments, it is worth remembering that one goal of objective tests was to reduce bias against individuals springing from subjective judgments (Sokal, 1987). They scarcely succeeded in attaining this goal, but they clearly served important roles, like informing the public agenda (e.g., the 1989 NAEP report, American Education at the Crossroads). Our aim is not the elimination of externally mandated standardized assessment, but a reasonable and appropriate balance in methods.
