Matt Damon joins protesting teachers in Washington DC

Matt Damon appeared at a rally in Washington DC over the weekend to support changing standardised testing policies for students.

The Adjustment Bureau star told a crowd of teachers at the Save Our Schools March on Saturday that students are often more intelligent that their exam scores suggest.

Damon said: "As I look at my life today, the things that I value about myself, my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity, came from the way that I was parented and taught.

"None of these qualities that I just mentioned, none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, none of these qualities that have brought me so much joy, that have made me so successful professionally, none of these qualities that make me who I am can be tested."

Damon was introduced at the Save Our Schools event by his mother Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education professor.

Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius author Dave Eggers have also backed Save Our Schools.

Damon will next star with Gwyneth Paltrow and Marion Cotillard in Contagion, which opens on September 9 in the US and on October 21 in the UK.

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Watch Matt Damon address teachers at the Save Our Schools March below: