You have a very utilitarian view of education that I find
uncomfortably limiting.
My own view is that rather than worrying about children 'passing' some
arbitrary standardised test. We should be aiming at teaching children
to think critically and have a large intellectual toolbox to work
from.
Of course; I'm weird in that I think children should be introduced to
as many concepts as possible as early as possible and that the
principles underlying calculus and differential equations are exactly
the sort of thing that a bright 7 year old might find engaging
intellectual toys. I also think that education is a lifelong process
and needs to include both regimented group learning and self-guided
exploration.
