“While I think that students should be taught to understand a subject, not just to be able to regurgitate it on a test, I think that some form of standardized testing should exist to benchmark certain performance standards at each grade level. For example, third graders should be able to do long division and multiplication of large numbers. Later on the standards become a little more subjective. Word problems test more than one area, so they must be carefully constructed to match the actual requirements for passing. Consensus on requirements is a must, and while Common Core makes strides towards it, I believe what they've come up with is inappropriate.”