Today I'm prepping my Greek students for their first exam next week, despite the fact that the campaign against testing is an integral part of the modern educational system in America. I would argue that tests are necessary to achieve fairness and excellence. They are also effective in determining the adequacy of a teacher's performance. Without effective monitoring, no educational system is likely to achieve its goals. The gravest disservice to education entailed by the anti-testing movement is the delusion that educational achievement comes as naturally as leaves to a tree, without discipline or effort on the part of the student. The opposite is true!