Mathematically Sane

When Learning No Longer Matters: Standardized Testing and the Creation of Inequality

By Jo Boaler

In Phi Delta Kappan (2002)

ABSTRACT (from article): This article considers the inequities that are created by standardized tests. It describes the story of Railside – an urban low-income high school in which the students made incredible achievements, only to be labeled ‘under performing’ by the state of California. It is argued that the standardized test upon which this judgment was based, and similar tests used throughout the country, stack the deck against language learners, and students from minority ethnic and cultural groups and low-income homes.