If the tests are asking little enough, then why are the teachers complaining they have no time to do anything but "teach to the tests"?
I can only guess. It may be that the issue is some politically correct goal of some 'social justice': So, if no child is to be left behind, then in some schools the poor teacher will have to spend 90% of the effort on the bottom 10% of the students, Maybe she wants to get these students 'engaged' -- that's hopeless.
For 'engaged', I gave lots of examples, but for the examples I gave I doubt that a significant fraction of K-12 teachers accomplish much of such 'engagement'.
In the end, the yelling and screaming about US K-12 education is (A) use the failure of the bottom 10% as a way to say that the system needs to do better and (B) use that need 'to do better' to spend much more on K-12 education and maybe double real estate taxes. US K-12 can do better but not by worrying much more about the bottom 10%.
When I was in school (high school, at least---which starts in Grade 9 in Ontario, no Junior High), students were streamed into classes according to their abilities at the given subject: Basic, General, Advanced, occasionally Enriched.
The teacher can't spend 90% of their time on the bottom 10% if the bottom 10% are in another class (where they get 100% of their teacher's time).
If the tests are asking little enough, then why are the teachers complaining they have no time to do anything but "teach to the tests"?
I can only guess. It may be that the issue is some politically correct goal of some 'social justice': So, if no child is to be left behind, then in some schools the poor teacher will have to spend 90% of the effort on the bottom 10% of the students, Maybe she wants to get these students 'engaged' -- that's hopeless.
For 'engaged', I gave lots of examples, but for the examples I gave I doubt that a significant fraction of K-12 teachers accomplish much of such 'engagement'.
In the end, the yelling and screaming about US K-12 education is (A) use the failure of the bottom 10% as a way to say that the system needs to do better and (B) use that need 'to do better' to spend much more on K-12 education and maybe double real estate taxes. US K-12 can do better but not by worrying much more about the bottom 10%.