[sats] and other nasty tests

Americans like tests so much that they have structured society around them. Newborns are greeted into the world with the Apgar test to measure activity, pulse, reflex, appearance and respiration. Getting a 3 or below is like getting an F. Soon to follow are assessments that compare them with their peers. Are they crawling, sitting, walking at the correct age? Four-year-olds are tested in literacy and math in Head Start programs, and kindergartners undergo tests to see who is "gifted." Americans embrace tests because they are entranced with objectivity -- or at least the appearance of it, experts say. No topic in education sparks as much debate and division as testing -- especially standardized testing. Pat Wyman, an instructor at California State University at East Bay and author of "Learning vs. Testing: Strategies That Bridge the Gap," says students should just learn how to deal with tests -- of all kinds.