Are tests the answer? As more high schools start using standardized exams, the stakes get higher.

• Author: Nagourney, Eric
• Position: National

HENRY MYER, A SOPHOMORE IN Cambridge, Mass., can think of plenty of ways he'd choose to spend two weeks with no classes. "I would definitely play a lot of basketball," says the 16-year-old.

As it turns out, Myer will be free from many of his classes for two weeks in May. However, he'll be holding not a basketball but a pencil, as he and his classmates take a battery of tests known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. The MCAS is an extensive exam of math and language-arts skills that all of the state's public high school students must pass to graduate.

It's called high-stakes testing, and this is its high season. Across the country, thousands of students are facing exams for which the stakes could hardly be much higher: A failing score can mean summer school, being held back, even denial of a diploma.

In recent years, a growing number of states--spurred in part by criticism that schools are not educating students well enough--have implemented a variety of new tests. So far, at least 19 states use exit exams, with a handful of others considering doing so.

With the support of President George W. Bush, there is a broader move to expand testing nationwide at all grade levels. Bush, who has made improving education a major issue in his administration, offers a simple explanation. "Without yearly testing," he said, "we do not know who is falling behind and who needs our help."

DO TESTS HELP OR HURT?

No big deal, right? After all, who doesn't want to make sure that students are being properly educated?

But the move to make testing an even bigger part of classroom life is causing one of the hottest debates in American education in years. While some experts are encouraged by what they see as the return of accountability, others believe additional testing may actually weaken education. And some students have even boycotted the tests.

Proponents acknowledge that one-size-fits-all standardized testing is an imperfect tool. But they argue it's still the best way to pinpoint failing students and schools in need of improvement.

"It's very easy to shoot the messenger and blame tests, when really the abysmal situation that we face is totally unequal learning opportunities for students all across the country," says Paul Reville, a lecturer on education at Harvard University. Already, testing advocates say, states like Massachusetts have seen improvements in student performance on the tests (see "Testing Achievement," page 10).

But critics...