March Madness

March if a difficult time in our school. After working all year to teach our kids as much as we can, we spend the bulk of March testing them to prove how much they have learned. I am currently in the midst of the test we give to our of our ESL students. While it seems to be a good test that provide an accurate picture of the student's abilities to read, write, speak and listen in English, it is a very time consuming task to administer.
In addition to this test, our 2nd and 5th graders also take the California Achievement Test in March. Our district uses Criterion Referenced Tests (CRTs) to measure student achievement. These tests are given throughout the year as students master the material. March seems to be the peak time for administering CRTs.
Needless to say, this can be a very stressful time for teachers and students alike. In the midst of all the testing, when I get a chance to sit back and reflect on what we are doing, I have to ask what the result of all this testing is. What happens to the progress we have worked so hard to make when, for most of March, students are busy testing instead of learning?