Skip Navigation
We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, provide ads, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
Activity

Can you succeed in the standardized testing system?

Overreliance on standardized testing is failing students and educators alike. See if you can succeed as an educator in a testing environment that’s stacked against you—spoiler alert, the game just might be unwinnable.
Published: March 2023

You have 3 minutes* to avoid these typical testing obstacles
A stack of textbooks: Good luck making it through your actual curriculum AND teaching the test!
A broken pencil: Oops! We don’t have any more working supplies for you.
A laptop: Hope all your students know how to use the provided laptops—and none of them break down!

Section with embed

Section with embed

This is a tool to illustrate the unwinnable status quo of standardized testing, but students' futures aren't a game. We call for a transformation to this system to one that is worthy of all our students.

*Why 3? That’s the number of subjects federal law requires schools to test—ELA, math, and science. So your dedicated history student, art whiz, and budding musician won’t see their hard work or talents reflected in the results.

Are you an affiliate?

Jump to updates, opportunities, and resources for NEA state and local affiliates.
Becky Pringle at an immigration rally with a bullhorn

Speak Up For Students and Public Schools

When we act together and lift our voices together in unison, we can improve the lives of children.
National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.