Identifying and Explaining Policies Each year, students are required to participate in standardized testing. Why should every student be forced to take such tests every year? This is due to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). In NCLB Act of 2001 Public Law 107-110 115 Stat. 1445-6, states that "each state plan must demonstrate that the state has adopted challenging standards on academic content and challenging standards on student academic achievement that will be used by the state, its local educational agencies, and its schools to advance this part "(THE NCLB ACT). The NCLB Act of 2001 Public Law 107-110 115 Stat. 1445-6 is based on the development of state content and academic performance standards that are measured through state assessments and against expectations of “adequate annual progress.” Each state can develop its own standards. History/Context Standardized testing dates back to 2200 BC, when the Chinese government administered written exams to candidates interested in working in the civil services (Young, 2005). The exams mainly consisted of memorizing established wisdom. By 1803, exams were widespread throughout Europe as a means of getting into a respected college. Standardized tests did not appear in the United States until the mid-19th century. Written exams were introduced in Boston in 1845 for government-funded schools, and in 1851 Harvard began its first entrance exams. From 1900 to 1915, psychology had a major influence on the tests administered. During this time, Lewis Terman helped expand Alfred Binet's ideas about an intelligence test. This later, in 1916, became known as an IQ test. In 1926, universities began using the SAT, a multiple-choice exam. This was a major advance in the form of standardized testing. The SAT has made grading easier and testing more consistent. The SAT has replaced any written test for college entrance. Over the next 19 years, the number of IQ tests increased substantially (Young, 2005). Over the course of these 19 years, various tests were carried out, from the inkblot test to the multiple choice school test. In the early 1960s, a book entitled The Tyranny of Testing (Young, 2005) was published. This book has attracted criticism due to the issue of standardized testing. The strongest criticism was that standardized tests did not help students reach their full potential. This claim was supported by the Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957. Americans began to wonder why the Russians had preceded us into space.