I came across an interesting article in Scientific American.  While waiting in the barber shop, I saw read the line, "Too often school assessments heighten anxiety and hiner learning.  New research shows how to reverse this trend."  Initially, it hit upon all of the negatives that go along with testing.  Then, it introduced a teacher who uses multiple choice questions as her lessons.  The practice is called Retrieval Practice.  The article states that there is empirical support for this practice that goes back approximately 100 years.  What I found most interesting is that according to the article Retrieval Practice does not use testing as a tool of assessment.  Rather it uses it as a form of learning.  The article goes on to say that students are able to recall information better and then are able to transfer and apply their knowledge to real world applications and deeper learning.   I think the take away for me is that this is a powerful way of learning if applied correctly.  The big business of making tests for the public schools gets in the way of what learning is all about.   I would love to know your feedback.