It’s true, we don’t have as many national standards - yet we have more national testing. The worst part, though is how the results are used. Instead of helping struggling students and schools, they are penalized… not exactly very helpful is it. As for the part of “determining students’ destiny,” I’m not too fond of that idea. Just think, you end up in some dead-end job just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed the day of the exams. In fact, I think we should place far less emphasis upon standardized test scores and shift the focus to critical thinking, writing, and problem solving abilities exibited in the classroom and/or projects.