I know that the current debate over testing our kids has reached new levels when I can read articles about it in magazines like Reader's Digest while sitting in my local dentist's waiting room. In the March issue, the line "If you think your kids need to spend more time penciling in answer bubbles, the College Board has granted your wish" caught my eye.  The College Board has introduced a new SAT-style exam called ReadiStep for students in the eighth grade. Critics say it is merely a new revenue stream for the College Board, and supporters say it will help to guide student instruction.

While standardized tests have become increasingly important in determining admission to college over the past ten years, some schools are now questioning whether to use them. Originally designed to distinguish top students regardless of background, the SATs are now thought to "calcify differences," according to a distinguished panel chaired by Harvard's dean of admissions, William Fitzsimmons. Students who can afford it can take the test multiple times and can determine which results to submit to colleges. Many colleges are giving more weight to students who do well in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. Those students, says Holy Cross admissions director Ann McDermott, "know how to work and manage their time."

Between the SATs, state and district exams, No Child Left Behind, AP, and ACT, the typical student will take more than two dozen standardized tests by graduation. Many parents question the effect of so much testing on already overscheduled kids. Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association says, "People like to use test scores to label students because it's easy and fast. But a student is so much more than a test score." I couldn't agree more.