I agree. Standardized testing is not about developing a well-rounded knowledge base and critical thinking skills. As I am fond of saying, educational standards and standardized testing are less about mandating what students must learn than determining what teachers won't have time to teach. A perfect example is that less than one person in a thousand graduates from high school knowing how the monetary system actually works despite it being perhaps the most influential external factor in every single person's life (not that one in a thousand teachers understands it, but I hope you get my point).
I also agree that teachers and administrators will cheat for their schools or students so as not to be defunded by poor results on standardized tests. There are actually a number of such instances that have reached the press, one of the largest of which was in Atlanta, spurring an investigation that revealed widespread teacher cheating on standardized exams in at least 39 states.. I considered including that aspect in my contribution above, but have been trying to keep my posts short and on point - the cartoon I would have included if I had?
Thanks for your reply and thoughtful commentary!
it's my pleasure