State leaders have long recognized the value of statewide tests. Many had well-developed testing systems long before the No Child Left Behind Act, signed in 2002, required annual assessments in grades 3-8. Another sign of that recognition is the recent plethora of new state testing requirements for K-3 students. But would states continue to test if the U.S. Department of Education was disbanded or stopped enforcing the testing requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, the successor to NCLB)? After all, state tests come in for their share of criticism. State leaders often respond by citing federal testing requirements. But if enforcement diminishes or disappears, as part of the Trump administration's promise to downsize its role in K-12 schools and "send education back to the states," would states keep testing? Should they?