Useless, every teacher I've had has thought so, and so do I. Every school teaches slightly differently, every teacher teaches slightly different material, or expands more on some and less on others, and every student learns differently. To measure students by this is ridiculous, on top of that I had a teacher who hated them so much he helped us cheat so he could teach what he deemed more important. Leave the testing to the teachers please.

Standardized testing is good as long as the standard is good. Unfortunately, when you get students graduating of High School that cannot even read correctly their own graduation diploma, we have a problem.

While standardized tests can be one yardstick in measuring student progress, to have it as the only one forces teachers to teach to the test, instead of to real life, and the quality of the education received goes down as a result. That and the test yardsticks are being used as a whipping stick to squeeze off fed funding to the places that need it the most, honestly.

I have always done very well on standardized exams, better than other students who were more proficient in the subject matter. Standardized tests mostly measure your ability to take standardized tests. As for measuring any ability or aptitude - their use is very limited. Unfortunately, they are seen as the panacea by the current teacher bashing crowd in power.

Not a bad idea as long as you hold the kids responsible and end the B.S.- fail the test, don't graduate. States now are systematically dumbing down tests to increase passing rates that (1) keep parents happy and (2) keep federal and state funds coming in. Standardized testing is worthless as long as it's used as a method of controlling the schools- it has turned schools into worthless diploma mills.

im in hs and the taks test is one of the easiest tests i could have taken. im not some super genius or anything but the test is super easy. only reason i can see to do away with it is because it doesn't count in what career you want to choose.

Horrible every child learns at different levels and speeds. The stupid thing is they they make the test for the perfect average student. How is that fair to the slower children? I don't think it is.

I am in HS right now and I really think FCAT should be done away with...no one wants it. I really think its a waste of everyones time and its not fair that everyone gets tested on things most careers wont even require. Like, actors dont worry about algebra and chemistry. I think when in high school, they choose what they want to be when they get older and only study their craft...thats it.

While I do not like the extreme emphasis placed on the SAT (where taking that test is considered more important than learning the subject itself, as illustrated by the numerous classes available that emphasizes only the test and how to take it), I do believe that some sort of standard is necessary for public schools. It would otherwise be almost impossible to fairly gauge a student's performance (as standards for grading vary between schools, hence the need for some way to judge a student's abilities against his or her peers). I do not like how students place so much stock on a single test that the concentrate more on test-taking skills rather than the subject matter, but I'll have to agree that the need for a standard is more important until a better solution comes up.