“It's terrible. I cringe every time I walk into the teachers' lounge because these tests are the only retention topic in there, and it increases your anxiety just to hear how scared everyone is. A few years ago, I really loved teaching, but it's intense…I'm not sure how long I can handle it” (Barksdale-Ladd, Thomas 390). Two main classifications of standardized tests are norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. These two tests are the most frequently used and well-known testing method in the United States and in numerous other countries around the world. The article will delve into the history of standardized testing in detail along with opinions from testing companies, school administration, teachers, researchers, students, and parents. History Standardized testing has been a part of American education since the mid-1800s. Another form was seen in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a short-lived proficiency test (Linn 3). Horace Mann developed a test to administer to a group of students in the 1800s. His intentions were to make judgments about how the student was performing at the current level and determine whether he or she would be able to advance to a higher level. Tests have changed in many ways since they first appeared with the onset of public education led by Horace Mann. “The purposes of standardized testing have shifted from an equalization of opportunity to a tool of segregation using separate socioeconomic status, wealth, and privilege” (Holmes 2). Today, tests are heavily used by school systems around the world. Testing began in 2001, when No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was created. The act was created to help schools meet 100% of all student groups in America within the year... half of the document... lease, 86 (631), 62-75.Henry, P (2007). The case against standardized testing. Minnesota English Newspaper, p. 40-71. Holmes, Sarah E. (2009). “Standardized Testing and the No Child Left Behind Act: A Failed Attempt at Reform.” English 1200. December 12, 2013.Lee, L. (2010). What did the teachers think? Teacher responses to using value-added modeling as a tool to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Linn, R. L. (2001). A century of standardized testing: Controversies and pendulum swings. Educational Evaluation, 7 (1), 29-38.Mulvenon, S. W., Stegman C. E., & Ritter, G. (2005). Test anxiety: A multifaceted study of the perceptions of teachers, principals, counselors, students, and parents. International Journal of Testing, 5 (1), 37-61.Wiliam, D. (2010). Standardized testing and school accountability. Educational psychologist, 45(2), 107-122.