The Impact of State-Mandated Testing on Urban and Suburban Fourth Graders 1 Melissa Freeman, University of Georgia & Sandra Mathison, University of British Columbia Abstract The debate on the effects of state-mandated testing as a means to reduce the achievement gap has generally overlooked the experience of those most affected by accountability practices—students. This study examines the experiences of 4 th grade urban and suburban students with high stakes tests in New York State. We found that students’ experiences with testing are shaped by a complex interplay of interpersonal and organizational conditions, some of which are different for urban and suburban students, some of which are the same. This paper considers the way state-mandated testing and the school’s organizational context, itself altered by testing, shape students’ perceptions of teaching and learning. We conclude that a focus on outcomes may reinforce rather than transform school practices that contribute to inequalities between students from suburban, wealthy, white and urban, poor, minority school districts. Outcome-based accountability exerts pressure on districts and schools to raise the performance level of all students to state determined levels. Students are under pressure to perform at a particular level, in particular ways, and at designated times regardless of their individual developmental or academic needs. Educators agree testing has a significant impact on students’ classroom experiences (McNeil, 2000; Scheurich, Skrla, & Johnson, 2000). Students are the most affected by accountability measures and practices, while their perspectives are the least sought after and the