“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." Einstein's brilliant quote contains more truth than some people would like to believe. Would you judge your cat by its ability to bark? Would you judge Tim Tebow, legendary quarterback, by his ability to hit a three-pointer in a basketball game? Would you judge a brilliant mathematician who graduated from MIT at the top of his class on his ability to write or draw or remember facts from World War II? No, you wouldn't because of his excellent math results. So tell me why you would judge a child and hold him back because he ranked high in reading scores but not in math scores? Does this seem like a fair observation to you? If you think so, let me explain further why standardized tests are an unfair way to evaluate a child's understanding and knowledge. Standardized testing was implemented through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The primary purpose of these tests was to “ensure that students in every public school achieve important learning goals while being educated in safe classrooms by well-prepared teachers.” (Yell). Even though the government had good intentions regarding this program, the situation took a turn for the worse. These tests are actually compromising and inhibiting students' educational growth because teachers must teach to the test and not stray from the boundaries at all for fear of low test scores. This may seem good to most people, but in reality teachers only teach students how to pass tests, not how to think critically and learn to love learning. An interview by seventh grade teacher Sherri Empey revealed how she felt about teaching to the test: “I can't get away from teaching what's on the test for fear that my students will rank low on the tests. This means I can't go in depth on any topic and can only teach the bare minimum, which is what's on the test. I have to put these ideas in their heads to make sure they can pass the standard” (Empey). Test-based teaching is replacing good teaching practices with “drill n' kill” rote learning”..