This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The public K-12 school system in the United States has become pervasively shaped by standardized testing. I began teaching mathematics in 2005, four years after the federal law No Child Left Behind was enacted.
This law expanded state testing and tied test results to school performance. Most districts changed their curricula to focus more on the content and skills covered on state tests. Many school districts increased their weekly instructional time for English and mathematics, with average increases of 47% for English and 37% for mathematics from 2001 to 2007.
To make room for additional time spent on these subjects, 44% of school districts cut time from other subjects or activities, such as the arts. A 2026 study of 67 school districts across 38 states found that, before high school, students take a median of 57 state- and district-required assessments. No Child Left Behind was replaced by another law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, in 2015.
Although the Every Student Succeeds Act aimed to reduce the role of testing in classrooms, standardized tests continue to shape what teachers teach, how they use instructional time and how schools define success. All U.S. public schools are required to administer standardized tests in reading and math annually to students in grades three through eight and at least once in high school. These tests measure whether students are reading and understanding mathematics at, above or below the average, when compared to other students across the state.
Students' scores on these tests can affect schools' ratings and rankings, and can also determine whether states monitor or take over public school districts that are not performing well. The exact number of tests students take each year before high school ranges from 35 to 88 tests. The study also found no relationship between the number of assessments students took and their proficiency or growth in English or mathematics.
The National Association of State Boards of Education also reports that some districts give students seven assessments per grade, with most tests administered one to three times a year. Older research also documents the time teachers spend preparing students for state tests. A 2016 survey found that 62% of K-12 public school teachers reported spending too much time preparing students for state-mandated tests.
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