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The start
American educators begin articulating ideas that would soon be translated into the formal assessment of student achievement. -
The start of college entrance exams
The development and administration of a range of new testing instruments, from measuring mental ability to attempting to assess how well students were prepared for college. -
The start of the IQ test
French psychologist Alfred Binet begins developing a standardized test of intelligence. -
The U.S. Military gets on board
Standardized testing is standard practice: aptitude quizzes called Army Mental Tests are conducted to assign US servicemen jobs during the war effort. -
The first SAT tests are administered
Founded as the Scholastic Aptitude Test by the College Board, a nonprofit group of universities and other educational organizations. -
The start of multiple choice testing
The University of Iowa initiates the first major statewide testing program for high school students. -
Technology adds a boost to testing
High-speed computing is first applied to testing. Electronic data processing equipment was used to process massive numbers of tests. -
The adoption of the Iowa assessment by other states
The first automatic test scanner is developed, a rudimentary computer called the IBM 805. Iowa tests are being made available to schools outside the State. -
Technology innovations in testing
Iowa also introduces computerization to the scoring of tests and production of reports to schools. -
The government gets involved
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act in particular opens the way for new and increased uses of norm-referenced tests to evaluate programs. -
The overuse of assessments
No Child Left Behind education reform is its expansion of state-mandated standardized testing as means of assessing school performance. -
The reduction
Every Student Succeeds Act is passed. ESSA takes steps to reduce standardized testing and decouples testing and high-stakes decision-making.