One of the most controversial topics in education today is the use of provincial achievement tests, also known as PATs. PATs are used to evaluate and help improve programs, maintain standards, and improve student outcomes. These tests are standard tests that are at the same academic level for all students and focus on the same curriculum topics. All students take these tests at approximately the same time during their schooling in the same year. In most provinces, students take the PAT in the third and sixth years of primary school. These tests have sections of the main areas; mathematics, literacy, science and social studies. French immersion schools also offer tests written in French with French language sections. These tests are used to provide additional information about student and school performance. However, some organizations use it to compare schools and districts. Some teachers do not understand these assessments and change their teaching practices to accommodate this perception. Teachers focus too much on the basic information covered on the test, as well as the entire curriculum listed. Teachers need to consider the difference between assessment of learning and assessment of learning. The assessment view of learning has given external testing an inferior view from teachers. External tests are used to check the quality of education. There are three issues regarding assessing student learning using achievement tests: misunderstanding of fair assessment, perception of external accountability initiatives, and inappropriate assessment of at-risk students. The first argument regarding achievement tests is that some teachers have a poor understanding... middle of document...... and have also misread the results and feel that either their child is not performing as well as he thought it was academically, or that the teacher didn't teach as well. Finally, some students are less advantaged because of their good preparation for the test. Some teachers focus more on the test, while others focus on the entire curriculum. In conclusion, provincial achievement testing is a positive program, but the teaching of the concept of provincial achievement testing needs to be better communicated to the public, as do the results and process. Works Cited Aitken, N., Webber, CF, Lupart, J., Scott, S. and Runté, R. (July 2011). Assessment in Alberta: six areas of concern. In The Educational Forum (Vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 192-209). Taylor & Francis Group. Alberta Provincial Achievement Tests: A Guide for Parents. (2013). Edmonton: Alberta Education.