I think they should do away with the standardized testing "standard". When teachers teach the test and not the curriculum, gaps in knowledge occur. Also, when you're teaching the test, you're not teaching for the sake of learning and education, you're teaching to pass the test, which is a poor motivator for scholarship. I was never really good at math; I was in AP history, and english classes but I never did well in math. In 9th grade I was a remedial math class. Instead of trying to catch us up, the teacher spent the course of the year teaching us the test. She said we had to finish such and such before a specific time because the test was x amount of days. In AP classes we covered stuff much like a college class and I was able to do much, much better work with much, much more freedom to learn.
To be honest, I'm not sure why the standardized tests are even needed. To gauge how students are doing in particular areas? To make sure they know key information they should know? Okay, but you can do that without having annual standardized tests. Teach the kids what they need to know, also what they want to know, in ways that they know how to learn. Then, at the end of High School, test them on things that they should already know and gauge how they do. But don't teach the test, the test should be a mirror of knowledge that they should know and recognize up to that point and how education will fit into their future.
I also agree with mups and pd in regards to trades.