Unsurprisingly, tests — especially when the results are linked to accountability consequences — are one of the heaviest pieces of political baggage to carry. And yet, the nation's most prominent civil rights organizations have long insisted on the value of these assessments. Why?
Last weekend, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York gave a brilliant answer. At an education town hall in Queens, she explained that educators in her schools saw her as a struggling student — until she got a shot at proving herself on a test.
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