Dive Brief:

• Steven Rasmussen, an education consultant and co-founder of Key Curriculum Press, writes for EdSurge that the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced math assessment is flawed, and that if  students perform poorly, blame should be placed on the exam and not teachers, administrators, or even the standards.
• Rasmussen finds flaws in both the wording of questions and the exam's demands, as well as the fact that technology is required, as he states that none of the questions are enhanced by being delivered on a computer.
• This spring, the Smarter Balanced math test will be administered in 17 states to an estimated 10 million students.

Dive Insight:

For Rasmussen, the issues with the test are bigger than just scores — they could determine whether or not the Common Core continues. "The results of the Smarter Balanced tests for 2014–2015, when they are released, will further confuse the highly politicized national debate about Common Core and could cause its demise," he writes.

While students and teachers are often the first to be blamed, we often don't look to test makers as possible culprits for poor scores. This, however, should not be the case. According to Anya Kamenetz's new book, "The Test," states spend an average of about $27 per student on a test, which isn't much. Like cheap fast food, these exams arguably lack substance.