Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade

Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the GradeTested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade by Linda Perlstein. Published by Henry Holt, 2007. 302 pages.

Linda Perlstein spent five years covering education for The Washington Post and is the author of Not Much Just Chillin’: the hidden lives of middle schoolers published in 2003.

This book details how one school in Anne Arundel County Maryland had to change their teaching methods and curriculum to focus solely on the Maryland School Assessment tests. It describes the negative impact that all the testing is having in our schools and the stifling of creativity by the teachers as a result of No Child Left Behind.

This book is excellent for anyone interested in education as a career or with children in the education system. It is an eye opening account of what type of emphasis testing has had on both teachers and students. If you are uncertain about the impact of No Child Left Behind, read this book.

– Lori Smith