NATIONAL testing can make pupils stressed and anxious and undermines their education, Scottish academics have warned.

Researchers from Stirling University said other negative impacts included lower motivation, disengagement and a narrowing of the curriculum.

The criticism comes in a written submission to the Scottish Parliament's education committee, which is looking at Scottish Government plans to introduce national testing as part of a new National Improvement Framework (NIF).

The paper, prepared by Professor Cate Watson, from Stirling University's School of Education, said there was evidence that national testing could undermine the intentions of the Scottish curriculum to give pupils a broad education.

It states: "Testing may result in lowered motivation and disengagement with learning among some groups of pupils. Testing may result in a narrowing of curriculum and the widely recognised phenomenon of teaching to the test.

"Testing itself can lead to stress and anxiety in pupils which potentially undermines other aims of the NIF in relation to pupils’ health and wellbeing."

Testing also came under fire in a paper prepared by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union.

The EIS paper said no evidence had been provided about how the new tests would help close the attainment gap between rich and poor and described the approach as "ill-judged and disproportionate" and "at variance with international research evidence".

Rather than helping to close the attainment gap between rich and poor the EIS said "time and again" standardised testing had been shown to "cement" disadvantage experienced by children living in poverty.

The paper said: "It crushes creativity both for learners and for teachers, does not take full account of pupil progress and causes unnecessary stress for the children and young people who are subjected to it."

The National Parent Forum of Scotland said there was a risk the new tests would place additional pressure on young people and would not, in themselves, provide any solutions to the problem of closing the attainment gap.

However, the submission stated: "We support the view that a coherent, consistent national approach to testing would help resolve the current situation whereby local authorities are buying in a range of tests which are not tailored to Curriculum for Excellence."

The current debate around the reintroduction of national testing dates back to the publication of a survey of literacy in April this year which found standards of reading and writing were falling despite the introduction of the new curriculum.

In August First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a controversial return to Scottish standardised national tests with all pupils to be tested three times in primary school and again in the third year of secondary by 2017.

Ms Sturgeon said the move would provide more detail of pupil progress in individual schools allowing for the attainment gap between rich and poor to be closed more quickly.

However, critics fear their introduction will allow league tables to be drawn up which unfairly compare schools which serve different communities.

There are also fears councils will use test results to judge teacher performance rather than pupil progress, which leads to school staff focusing all their efforts on "teaching to the test" to get as many pupils through at the expense of their wider education.