I am a frustrated parent of kids from  AK schools. In K-5, my son would easily complete all the homework assignments he was given (on the few times he was given any), but when his standardized test results came back he was consistently lo average or lo in math.  After asking at every conference, I finally got one honest teacher who admitted that she was teaching below grade level.  This was after several teachers told me "I was never very good at math either."  Is that an excuse? In middle school my son brought home a highly graded test with multiple spelling errors telling me the teacher had said that spelling didn't count. When does it count?  If kids are crying over spelling tests it means that there needs to be more spelling practice, not fewer tests. If AK kids are below national averages, changing the test so we don't compare to nationals is not going to fix it.  Teachers need to know what they are teaching.  "Capturing Kids' Hearts"? Please! How about reading, writing, and math.