Commentary on Testing Reform Needed

I am writing this blog post in response to the Musings of a Sassy Texas Skeptic's blog post entitled, "Testing Reform Needed." Her main point that she focused on is that the Texas' Legislature needs to make changes when it comes to standardize testing.
I completely agree with her argument, too much of our teachers' and students' time is taken up by preparing for this test. Instead of focusing on preparing these children for the future, they are instead trying to see if they can answer irrelevant questions that do not hold any value for real life. Students in Texas are obviously not getting the education needed because they score in the lowest quarter for SAT scores in the country.  This statistic shows that the standardize tests are not doing what they are supposed to do. A student may score well on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (Texas' standardized test), but then turn around and get a very low score on the SAT. Going forward the Legislature should do away with the TAKS test and allow the teachers more time to educate their students on relevant matters. These matters may included getting the students ready for the SAT and ACT which are very important in regards to college acceptance. Also preparing the students for real life, such as tax paying, loans and credit.
As you can see, I am completely on the same page as the Sassy Texas Skeptic when it comes to reform of standardize testing. There needs to be change, and fast.