Mandated testing a $1.1 billion industry

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of standardized tests in public schools today. Grade advancement, high school diplomas, teacher bonuses, principals’ jobs and school reputations can all hinge on whether a student picks the right answer. So who creates the tests that carry so much weight?

Much of the work is done by five giants: CTB/McGraw-Hill, Educational Testing Service, Harcourt Assessment, Pearson Educational Measurement, and Riverside Publishing. Together, the companies own about 90% of the state-testing business, which has become a $1.1 billion industry since passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. Working with state educators, the big five—or big four, once Pearson’s planned acquisition of Harcourt takes place— create and score the tests. But the explosion of testing and changes in the types of tests states administer have left the companies scrambling to keep up.

Also, differences in state standards that are used to create the tests and the reluctance of some states to spend money for high-quality, challenging tests have caused a great disparity in testing from state to state. Read more at stateline.org.