This ERIC Digest was adapted from the Association for Childhood Education International's (ACEI) 1991 position paper on standardized testing. Since the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983, standardized testing programs have expanded greatly. Tests may be of pencil-and-paper or performance-oriented varieties. The purposes of tests include determination of children's placement in gifted programs and grade advancement. Teachers feel compelled to spend time preparing children to take tests in spite of the fact that few teachers believe that a given child's intelligence can be accurately represented by standardized tests. Reasons for caution in the use of tests include the possible loss of children's self-esteem, the distortion of the curriculum, and the lowering of expectations. The ACEI believes that no standardized testing should occur through grade 2, and questions the need for testing in the remaining elementary school years. Teachers increasingly indicate that they can address accountability issues through documentation of children's work. This is most clearly seen in the area of writing. Concerned educators argue that writing cannot be assessed outside the instructional process itself. The digest concludes that performance-based assessment in the classroom, rather than assessment by standardized testing, guarantees an understanding of the growth of individual children. Three references are cited. (BC)