<p>Schools have always "measured" achievement. That's what regular class tests and quizzes do. </p>
<p>Standardized tests are just means to assess how one school compares to others. What good is getting good grades from a school if you don't know that the school's standards are so low that getting an "A" is a piece of cake. How else can it be assessed that tax dollars are not being wasted on inadequate schools? </p>
<p>Even parents who complain about standardized testing use those results when choosing a neighborhood to move to.</p>