How has the ITBS changed?
While the test itself has changed very little, the students who take it have changed drastically. In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act required the states to measure the progress of the students within their public school systems. Each state was given the option either using a nationally administered standardized test or devising a test of its own. Almost all states selected the latter option. As a result, the number of public school systems that administer the ITBS has fallen from a majority of the states in 2000 to two states (Iowa and Utah) in 2007. There are two reasons why the states left the ITBS. First, when a state administers its own test it creates jobs in its local area. This is a very good thing. Second, because each state gives its own test, it need not be worried about its schools being compared to schools in other states. For some states, the absence of comparisons is very attractive. When the public school systems were taking the ITBS, the private schools, who have tra
