Title: Test your school information
Headings: 

Content: Do teachers end up teaching to the test? Know that the best schools take testing in stride and have faith that good educational practices produce fine results on tests. At best, standardized tests are guidelines for academic standards, not an educational objective in themselves. A child's performance on a test is a valuable measure only when there is a wide discrepancy between his or her score and class room performance. This is particularly true when a child's scores are high, but classroom performance is poor. The test indicates that the child is capable of doing well, and the discrepancy is a clue to look for psychological reasons for the problem. It is reasonable to ask a principal the school's national standings on these tests. Beware the administrator who puts too much stock in them. Communication with parents
How available are the principal and the staff for conferences? What kind of regular communication is there from the school (perhaps in the form of email) and from the teacher? (