Two Reasons for State Standardized Testing

I can think of two reasons why state standardized testing exists.  One reason is the fact that schools get funding based on how their students are doing, so schools have an incentive to make sure the students know the bare minimum for their particular grade level.  A second reason is that it's a way to make sure all of the students in the school have actually learned everything they are expected to know for their grade.  Post a comment identifying any other reasons you can think of for state standardized tests.