And the thing about business is that they can make decisions in their own best interest, and if it all fails, they just jump to the next company. They don't take any oath of office or "do no harm".
Agreed! Looks like a possible lack of ethics and accountability. Yet without the government backing for Common Core, this may be without power or influence.
I so wish that this whole system could be dismantled and rebuilt from scratch. As it is now, everyone depends on everyone else to maintain and improve profits. Makes it hard to trust anyone about common core, SATs or anything else. Just a paper chase now.
Fortunately taking the SAT is not compulsory. People do it because everyone else is doing it. Some children take it because they love a challenge, others take it so they do not fall behind, and some take it so they may get ahead. Yet when they get ahead, the system providing the test may cry foul, claiming they want equal results for all, and may even provide penalties for all members of a demographic whose representative students outperform others. What becomes the point of the test?
In a free market of capitalism, people can respond to a possible conflict of interest or burgeoning monopoly by withholding their dollars.
Portfolio, anyone? As intelligence becomes passé and may be written off as so much book-learning, more individuals may wish to distinguish themselves by showcasing what they can DO with what they've learned... how they can apply their skills and self-knowledge in various arenas.
An enterprising capitalist may also wish to harness the current concerns surrounding the educational system, MOOCs, accreditation, etc and create competition, investing in entering the market with a new high-school completion testing and academic credentialing service. Acting independently may create a viable product/service. For example, greek yogurt took the yogurt world by storm.
