ABSTRACT
It is well known that testing affects what is taught in the schools. As nationwide tests of math skills or reading comprehension become established, they become the standards by which school systems, teachers, and students are judged. They unconsciously dictate what students should learn, and so education in the schools begins to point toward teaching the skills necessary to do well on these tests. The most flagrant examples of this effect are the courses to prepare students to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test for college entrance, but the effect is far more pervasive in subtle ways throughout the schools.
