Visone (2010) cited results from the 2007 Trends in International Science Study (TIMSS) showing that American students lag behind students from many other countries, with no significant progress since the mid 1990s. Visone questioned whether TIMSS and comparable tests truly measure scientific knowledge. "The importance of reading cannot be overstated in our information-rich society…Reading is a critical variable that must be considered when assessing students in science" (Visone, 2010, p. 96). Content-based assessments have gotten a bad reputation for requiring teachers to "teach to the test." These tests do measure students' grasp of standardized material. They provide a means to compare students to one another in the classroom and at the local, state and national levels. They provide benchmarks for student achievement. Most teachers would agree that multiple-choice tests are not the best measure of student achievement, but at present there is no other way to objectively assess student performance on a massive scale.

Content-based assessments...

Some students simply do not test well. Other students learn in ways that are not conducive to pencil and paper measures. It does not appear that content-based assessments will disappear any time soon, however, so perhaps the task that teachers face is helping all students, regardless of learning style, prepare for these assessments to the best of each individual student's ability.
References

Buck, S., Ritter, G.W., Jensen, N.C., Rose, C.P. (2010). Teachers say the most interesting things -- an alternative view of testing. Phi Delta Kappan 91 (6), 50-54.

Journell, W. (2010). The influence of high-stakes testing on teachers' willingness to incorporate current political events into the curriculum. High School Journal 93 (3), 111-125.

Longo, C. (2010). Fostering creativity or teaching to the test? Implications of state testing on the delivery of science instruction. Clearing House 83 (2), 54-57.

Visone, J.D. (2010). Science or reading: What…