Locally from The Oregonian:

Toss out the tests

Schools should drop their reliance on standardized tests and pursue performance-based criteria that address the individual.

The introduction makes a great analogy -

The Vietnam War's measure of success was the number of sorties and the enemy "body count." That accounting, over time, proved flawed. Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing and others hired accountants from supposedly top-notch firms. The result? Investors were fleeced, taxes evaded, pension funds robbed.

The No Child Left Behind Act is another misguided reliance on measuring -- an unnatural accountability that relies on just one student dimension: test taking. Last month more than half the state's high school sophomores failed the math test. Now this statistical hiccup (maybe the test was too hard!) might be corrected by boosting the scores so the results are fair. Does that sound like sound measuring to you?

Plus the author quotes Alfie Khon

Testing has a place, but let's remember to measure growth not height.