Mary, Most of the world has standardized testing. They are far better educated and far better informed than Americans.

I grew up in a system where it didn't matter if you did no homework throughout the year, didn't do a day's work throughout the year, etc. It mattered only that you passed the year end test. The year end exam was tough. It included the entire year's syllabus, and if you didn't get at least 50%, you stayed behind and repeated the year.

As far as I know, nobody I know has a lack of curiosity about learning.

The real problem with American eduation is that teachers decide what to teach student, are more focused on making the child feel confident, so you arrive at a situation like today, where you have loads of confident people storming the bastille - sorry, the Capitol.

In America, you force people to work together. IN South Africa, it was totally forbidden. It was cause for expulsion if you worked with another student. Why? Because the teacher couldn't accurately assess what the student knew.