Standardized Testing

What is the purpose of a test? Is it for a student to prove they know the information covered in that unit? Is it so a teacher can assess a students progress? Is it to easily produce figures and numbers as a way to measure progress?

As a science major, I'm used to tests. The majority of my G.P.A. is derived from tests. I like tests- I know how to study for them and I know how to take them. I will have to take tests for the rest of my life, and this is a good thing. They will hold me accountable for information I should (and need) to know. But not all tests do this. Standardized tests hold the teacher more accountable than the student. Is it fair to hold one individual accountable by another's actions? Some standardized testing may be necessary in the U.S. education system. It is a good way to produce visible results that may highlight an area a student struggles in or excels in. But the motivation behind standardized testing has become more about funding and less about the student. Teachers are being forced to teach to a test, which in the end will increase funding to that school and continue the cycle of teaching to a test. Teachers that don't teach to the test may lose their job if the students don't "perform" well enough. Our education system will become lost in a neverending cycle that further decreases its value. Yes, I think it's important for students to take some standardized tests and to learn how to take these type of tests because not all of them will disappear from our society. But, these tests should not be the only way to monitor progress. In fact, I'm not convinced they should be used to monitor progress at all. Maybe they should just be used to see if there are any red flags with a student. The question then becomes, what other way can we measure progress?