Ushered in with the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, high-stakes testing has had an increasingly more negative than positive impact on K-2 education. Teachers are now required to spend more time teaching particular skills that will be tested. Young children are spending a disproportionate amount of time in class preparing for standardized tests, rather than experience engaging instruction that supports students’ critical thinking and imagination. This fact sheet highlights five areas of concern recognized in educational literature related to high-stakes testing and young children.
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