"The question that dismays all teachers and ought to concern every parent because of what it reveals about what school can do to a child's curiosity -- ?Will this be on the test?' -- will never be answered again in the same way. Bob Rothman offers a rich and compelling account of the unfolding revolution in testing in America's schools."
-- Richard P. Mills, Vermont commissioner of education

An award-winning journalist, Rothman cuts through the assessment debate -- a debate often characterized by misrepresentations and jargon -- to offer a highly accessible examination of the shift in thinking about testing. He underscores that any change must begin with the And: what we want students to know and be able to do. Such changes demand a new way of knowing what students can achieve--and a system that enables them to achieve.