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 ‘WELCOME TO THE RAT RACE’: On the Figurational Dynamics of Testing This essay discusses why the Cito-test (a scholastic aptitude test) at the end of the primary school has become so important, while at the same time parents, primary and secondary school teachers and educational professionals argue against placing too much weight to the test results. An analysis of the figuration formed by the different parties involved in the selection process shows that parents, primary schools, secondary schools, and the state push each other to give priority to the test at the expense of the primary school teacher’s advice. A content analysis of the coverage of the Cito-test in five national newspapers in 2004 gives proof of several reasons. Selection for the hierarchical ordered secondary schools takes place directly after elementary school. Secondary schools rely more and more on ‘objective’ selection criteria and ask for a minimal test score for each level. In the race for the highest educational qualifications parents stress the importance of the Cito-score for their child to guarantee admission to the higher levels of secondary education. At the same tine parents judge primary schools on their average test scores. So, in the competition for pupils, schools have to demonstrate their quality and try to obtain high average results. Finally, the state demands that schools account for their achievements. Quantifiable measures, like the test scores at school level, are the easiest to judge, and are increasingly considered as an indication of quality of the schools. So, each party forces the others to overvalue the test results against its own opinion that the Cito-test should not be given too much weight.
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