As an educator and clinical professional who has to use standardized tests and a parent of twin seniors, I can’t stress enough how much I despise them in all shapes and forms! The only merit I see to them is that they provide a general picture of strengths and weaknesses but in no way, shape, or form should be used to compare one student against another which is exactly what they serve to do. I have worked in special education for 20 years and have two very different students that I have raised, one being exceptionally bright, in the top 5% with 10 AP courses and another who is a stellar “B+” student with a standard curriculum - neither did exceptionally well on the tests, even with hours of test prep invested. I have tested young children who score in the lowest percentiles, only to demonstrate age-appropriate skills several months later. I understand that we need an equal measure of comparison but test scores should carry very little weight if any imho!