Student performance on critical-thinking applications on standardized tests in a southwestern U.S. state has been low for several years. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how one school district prepared students for critical-thinking applications on standardized tests. The study was informed by cognitivism and constructivism. Research questions were designed to investigate existing practices to foster students’ critical-thinking applications, identify barriers to improving student performance, and seek recommendations for support. Purposeful sampling was used to select 13 teachers and 7 administrators from elementary through high school to participate. Data were collected from interviews, focus group discussions, documents, and archival records. A combination of a priori and open coding was used to support categorical aggregation for analysis and interpretation. Strategies used to teach critical-thinking skills (higher order questioning, active learning, cooperative learning, enrichment, modeling, real-life applications, and fostering affective domains) and enhance test-taking skills (requiring evidence, vocabulary building, standardized test-formatted assignments, listing what is known, and guided reading to analyze questions) were identified, yet best practices were not widely utilized across the district. Student-level and teacher-level barriers reflected issues identified across 30 years of research. This study contributes to social change by providing specific recommendations, including steps to improve ongoing professional development and increase resources and other supports for learners, for a districtwide focus on improving critical-thinking applications. Reforms may provide students with increased knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge.