Each year our paid officials spend at least 16 million dollars of our taxes in the administration of CSAP tests.  Theoretically, the goal is to improve our children's performance.  These same officials beautifully profess that what they are doing, through these tests, is to equalize educational opportunities for all our children regardless of advantages or disadvantages which exist beyond the classroom.
So, what's behind the mask?
Let's create a hypothetical scene to somewhat probe this issue.  Let's say that, dear reader, you are a government official with this sixteen million dollars at your disposal.  The only requirement for spending this money is that you have to choose between two roads set forth for improving our schools and making them more equitable.
    If you choose the first road, you will earmark the money to equalize the tax base for all districts in the state.  This would mean that poor districts, such as Conejos County, would receive the same amount of money for each student as rich districts - such as Cherry Creek.  On this first road you would also provide more funds for health clinics, and would employ, pay well, and evince more respect for teachers dedicated to reaching out to children, understanding their gifts and limitations, and working to inspire their talents.  On this road, you would also encourage the kind of thinking that acknowledges that each child's talents are unique, and that those talents go through constant change.  This road also acknowledges that progress in society depends on a positive atmosphere where young people have opportunities to explore their abilities, and opportunities to share them as well.
The philosophy of this road is humane and cooperative, and each child counts as an individual and not as a number on a graph.
Or, dear reader, you could also choose the road which is presently in place.  On this road you would continue to spend the money on CSAP testing.  Here's what some outstanding statistics of this program reveal:  In the year 2003, 95% of the students who attended the thirteen lowest performing schools were children of color.  On the other hand, of those schools that performed very well, only 13% of the children were students of color.  The statistics of 2004 revealed very similar results.  Of those schools that were in the bottom 10% of the ratings, 68.8% were children from minority households.  Obviously,  these high stakes tests are used to tell us what we already know, and to further marginalize and label our children. 
With this information as your tool, you sir, or madam, as government bureacrat, can implement a punitive system in our schools.  This system will threaten our "low performing" schools with state takeovers and reorganizations.  And of course, if you continue down this road, you will further inspire competition and discourage cooperation.  Also, you will see the blunting of our children's curiosity and the undermining of their self-esteem. In one sense, then, your slavish reliance on the results of this test is nothing more than bowing down to a golden calf.
So, dear bureaucrat, what would you do? 
Do you think that you would have success in improving our schools on this second road?  Or perhaps the success you would have would be to reinforce the barriers in our already very marginalized society, and you would further separate the privileged from the disadvantaged. 
And what is the responsibility of government in a democracy?  Is it to dedicate itself to the welfare of all, or is it to augment and support the voices of the most powerful and demanding members of society?
If you would like to take action against this injustice in our schools, please visit our web page at www.thecbe.org.