I'd be interested in Max's thoughts on Standardized Tests...imo, they're both good and bad. Good because if used properly it helps measure how our students stack up against other nations - and it seems we're not doing very well these days. Bad because some teachers have learned to teach to the test (perhaps to keep their jobs) and that doesn't show how our students are doing.
"...the empty desks of 20 children marked absent today, and forever"
-Poet Richard Blanco at President Obama's Inauguration, 01/21/13