Includes bibliographical references (p. [335]-343) and index.

If only it were so simple -- What is a test? -- What we measure: just how good is the sample? -- The evolution of American testing -- What test scores tell us about American kids -- What influences test scores, or how not to pick a school -- Error and reliability: how much we don't know what we're talking about -- Reporting performance: standards and scales -- Validity -- Inflated test scores -- Adverse impact and bias -- Testing students with special needs -- Sensible uses of tests.

How do you judge the quality of a school, a district, a teacher, a student? By the test scores, of course. Yet for all the talk, what educational tests can and can't tell you, and how scores can be misunderstood and misused, remains a mystery to most. This book demystifies educational testing - from MCAS to SAT to WAIS