Develop a portfolio system for students.

Some students don't test well. Some students have talents in areas not normally tested, and their learning styles vary accordingly. The tests are only geared toward two areas: verbal/print learners and numerical/mathematical learners. There are at least 5 other ways brains are wired to retain, organize and retrieve information. None of those styles respond well to the testing formats used. (We have PSSA tests in PA much like the ones in TX. The better the teacher, the more he or she hates these tests with a soul-burning passion.)

If students are graded partly on classroom performance, partly on their portfolio collections of their best work in numerous target areas, and only a little on standardized tests, we would get a more rounded picture of each student's achievement and progress. After all, last I heard, education is still supposed to be about the student, not about little black marks made with a No. 2 pencil.