Times change and they always have. Though testing appears to be overemphasized there was a reason for it being so in the first place (i.e. the educational product being turned out was cause for alarm). Now with the frenetic rush to evaluate and find reasons for the decline, we seemingly cannot even get a decent effort to even take the test. We can blame the test, we can blame the curriculum, and we can blame the teachers; however; the education is out there to be had. The students who really want it and go after it do well. There are a great number of parents who see nothing wrong with the quality of education and they have raised the students to prove it. Too many excuses are afforded for failure. Teachers are not being turned out in the volume to meet the demands for a blame oriented structure called our educational system. Students are behind and are not at grade level and there are schools of thought that de-emphasize homework. Really, how badly do we want an education?