Resolution on Standardized and State Mandated Testing
National Association for Multicultural Education

WHEREAS the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) considers the current usage of standardized and state mandated testing to be a social policy issue of utmost importance; and

WHEREAS NAME believes we must begin to account for the personal, social, and economic cost of standardized and state mandated testing as people are tested, tracked, and sorted into narrowed and often non-existent, rather than broadened opportunities; and

WHEREAS NAME strongly believes that standardized and state mandated testing damages the quality of teaching and learning and poses unwarranted, unethical, and sometimes illegal barriers to equal opportunity for large numbers of Americans;

WHEREAS research on standardized testing demonstrates that standardized tests are grossly misused for purposes for which they were not intended; and

WHEREAS research has conclusively shown that standardized and state mandated tests have a differential and negative impact on persons of color and FEMALES the most and the scores of such tests tend to be highly correlated with socio-economic class; and

WHEREAS standardized and state mandated tests exert far too much control over curriculum and instruction, thwarting educational reforms that build upon sound cognitive research that attempts to address the range of skills and learning behaviors that are needed in today's global community;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that NAME calls for an end to the total dominance and misuse of standardized and state mandated testing as the sole means for apportioning educational and economic opportunities and sanctions;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses the increased use of performance-based assessments which judge students, prospective teachers, and teachers on the basis of what they can actually do;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses hiring and promotion systems for teachers based on genuine performance;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses admissions policies at institutions of higher education that do not reinforce and extend barriers to equal opportunities based on standardized and state mandated scores.

Adopted at the NAME Business Meeting on November 11, 2001
Reaffirmed by NAME Board of Directors on January 18, 2001

The National Association for Multicultural Education is the leading international and national organization in the area of multicultural education. For additional information, contact NAME at name@nameorg.org or visit the website at www.nameorg.org. The NAME office is located at NAME, 5272 River Rd, Suite 430, Bethesda, MD 20816 and can be reached by phone at (301) 951-0022 or by fax at (301) 951-0023