The tests are priority number one with the scores broken down and analyzed more than most company financials. It doesn't just end there, though--the kids' quizzes and regular exams are also being broken down the same way every single day by some learning objective. There are files of our students with more numbers than letters to explain who they are, what they can do, and predictors of what they may be able to accomplish down the road. All of this is used to make decisions and judge the kids' "academic capabilities" as well as teacher effectiveness (which is now being tied to their pay in some districts--bring on even more corruption and politics). What I've said so many times to anyone who listens is that statistics are skewed to fit someone's agenda. Corruption in large school districts is rampant and these "indicators" are always the major talking points for pushing money this way or the other. In the end, our kiddos are becoming test-taking machines rather than thinkers and our teachers are figures who push more paperwork than instruct. How can we fix this for a child who can't afford a private education?