An inescapable element of K-12 public education in the United States is testing. For many students and parents, testing has become ubiquitous. It feels like it is everywhere, every day, all the time.

Computer-based testing gives 9-year-old Sailor Hulbert a headache. This year, she has to sit in front of a screen and click through questions three times instead of bubbling in a test booklet once.

This analysis of testing in schools shows what the current debate gets wrong, and how educators and policymakers can create a future where assessments are a more effective part of the teaching and ...