When browsing a more broad topic of general educational controversies I came across this article on the reform of education to benefit the student for future success.
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/10/22/measures-for-success/
I strongly urge you to read the article that is linked to this blog post. The blogger of the article talks about the new educational program that has been installed in Green County, North Carolina. The county now bases its education off oppurtunity, rather than test grades. I found it very genious that each middle and high school student in the county are provided with a personal labtop that is equipped with technological programs to ensure infastructure, content, and professional development of the student. I took the exert below from the article to show the efficiency of the new educational program:

Of particular interest, however, is the number of graduating high school students who are going to college. Prior to their 1:1 initiative, only 26% of students continued their education after high school. On the last day of school, in 2006, 79% of graduating seniors had already been accepted at post secondary institutions. In 2007, it rose to 84%.

As you can see, in Green County, NC, the rate of graduating students continuing on to secondary institutions has increased by almost 60% in the just four years! Those numbers are simply mind-blowing. This article just goes to show the effectiveness of education when it is based off oppurtunity and the goal to be successful later on in life. Although standardized test compare students on how well they comprehend certain material, they don’t determine ones ability to strive and adapt in order to excel in the future.