ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins of testing in schools, since testing has always been associated with measurement and efficiency. It explores why tests became increasingly common during the 20th century by clarifying the many roles that tests perform. The chapter contrasts the apparent simplicity of testing with the actual complexity of creating tests and assessments, to clarify the point that supposedly "scientific" tests require more than most observers understand. It looks at the rise of test-based accountability systems—that is, the systems of rewards and punishments attached to tests and assessments. The chapter discusses the implications for teachers of applying high-stakes tests. It takes up the issues of equity and accountability systems. Testing has been associated with efficiency for as long as tests have been used in schooling. Educators and test makers create batteries of questions covering whatever academic content students are supposed to have learned, and the results then reflect the extent of learning from student to student.
