Standardized tests simply can’t measure students’ critical thinking skills or true engagement with a topic. And forcing teachers to address only content that can be measured in standardized tests, while avoiding more analytical material, hinders learning. It also devalues the profession of teaching, the way that Taylor’s theories devalued the role of skilled craftspeople in factories. Reducing education to test preparation jeopardizes the quality of curricula and the craft of teaching. It drains education of humanity.
