[MrMon]

The standardized tests are not the cause of this, the article clearly points out that the problem is you can label a course anything you want, but whether or not it contains what it needs to is another matter. The idea behind the standardized tests is, schools shouldn't be able to get away with this any longer, as everyone is held accountable to the same standard, regardless of what their courses are titled.

I am transitioning to teaching (physics) and I can tell you based on what I have observed so far, the idea that students are being held to low standards is very true in some districts. I observed in an almost all-black district and the courses were pathetic. What was being taught was boring, low-level, and not being taught well. The teacher certainly meant well, so whether she felt compelled to teach at that low a level, I don't know, but she was also teaching outside her area of training. Something seemed missing in a lot of the kids as well, like they hadn't been taught the basics somewhere along the line.

In contrast, I've also seen excellent schools, where students really do do top level work. There are screw-up kids here too, but they don't let them dominate the classroom. So it's possible to teach the kids, but some schools clearly do a better job than others. But the standardized tests have little to do with it.