Jason Stanford writes a smart blog about education in Texas.

In this one, he explains that when the stakes get too high, bad things happen, whether in business or any other activity.

Most businesses are honest, most educators are honest. But it is wrong to tie a child or an adult’s future to standardized tests.

Stanford writes:

“Standardized tests have a valid role in education, but closing down schools or giving principals cash bonuses based on test results is new. That started when then-Gov. George W. Bush instituted a business mindset in Texas public schools and measured all schools by their tests scores. Enron did much the same thing with its stock price, gaming the system by hiding debt and booking future earnings. The stock price soared while the former pipeline company cratered. In Texas public schools, dropouts rose, preparing for the tests ate up more than half the schoolyear, and scores rose. Bush proclaimed it the “Texas Miracle.” Many of the schools he cited as proof of his miracle were later investigated for cheating, including Wesley Elementary in Houston, where the principal coached teachers “to administer a test the Wesley way,” which meant walking around the classroom and standing behind a student until they chose the correct answer. But by then, achieving miraculous gains on test scores had become a national goal.”

If we opened our eyes, he says, we would realize that what we are doing now is wrong. It is not working. It doesn’t help students and it doesn’t improve education. It is actually pretty dumb to put so much weight on bubble tests.