Abstract
In Sweden, national tests get support from many teachers. This paper seeks to reveal the reason of that by tracing the history of national achievement tests. Especially, the focus is on the national tests in elementary and former secondary education. The period for consideration is from the birth of "Standardized test" up to now, focusing the time of transition from "Standardized test" to "National test". From this study, the reasons of teachers' support are supposed that National test overcome problems of Standardized test and that teachers can affect the improvement of National test. The birth of National test was coupled with the start of "criterion/knowledge-referenced assessment". Originally, the biggest aim of National test were to show benchmarks of the standards for equivalent assessment in schools and to check if the students achieve these standards. However, the focus shifted to the use of the results of the Test for accountability.
