Viewing the Whole Child 

I don't think there is anything wrong with assessing children to see if they meet educational standards.  The process helps the teachers and school systems to be  accountable for what is being taught.  However the children should not be taught to "pass the test"  The test should be the same throughout the schools in the nation, and be a guideline for what subjects and information need to be addressed for the school year.  

It is unfortunate that I live in the state with the lowest standardized testing scores in the nation.  I have spoken to teachers about it.  They have told me that the schools in this area don't teach to help children pass the tests.  Therefore, the majority of the information is foreign to the children.  They will continually score below the standard threshold when they are not taught the information.  It is crazy to raise the expectations without first changing the curriculum within the schools.  

I recently read that the U.K. has an assessment, iPIPS,  that is used in multiple areas worldwide.  The test measures: cognitive development; personal, social, and emotional development; physical development; behavior; contextual information. (http://www.ipips.org/the-ipips-study/the-pips-assessment) The assessment is given at the beginning and end of the first grade.  The testing and research facility analyze the change in development.  

I believe that assessments are essential to measure the cognitive growth and development of children.  Information is very valuable and can be used to help people.  The question is simple.  Are the assessments that children take really preparing them for the future.