What have we done? Is testing what it's really all about?

So having gotten through all the Back to School nights, I left one of them thinking, "what have we done to education?"  Each and every teacher mentioned the STAR testing.  Most explained how they ready the kids for the testing.  But one in particular made me bristle.  Maybe I'm alone here, but when I heard a high school teacher explain their curriculum and her final comments were something along the lines of "I'll teach them everything they need to know for the STAR testing because that's really what it's all about, right?" 

Is it really what it's all about?  Curious as to your thoughts about testing in our classrooms/schools.  The Clayton Pioneer had a story about the testing, and the threat last year of putting the test scores on student transcripts seemed to create a bit of panic.  Do your children "try" to do good on the tests?  My expectation is that my kids do the best they can on all testing, but I know some parents completely dismiss the testing.  What I feel, and what I say to my kids, admittedly , are two different things - so what about you and your students?

The article discusses specificially testing at Clayton Valley High,

“I do try on the tests, but I could try harder,” said CV junior Joanna Fan. “I feel like students are only taught things so we can succeed on the STAR test, and the teachers are limited to just that.”


Fan wasn’t moved by Principal Gary Swanson’s pre-testing pep talk or the added threat of the scores being put on transcripts. “I saw it as something the school wants us to work hard on so it looks good for the school, and the students took the back seat,” she said. “If the administration really wanted to improve our learning, then maybe they should offer more challenging courses.”

This student certainly has a point I think.  And it echos how I felt at Back to School night, the testing is for the school, not the students, or is it?
 
Your thoughts?