How have particular assessments or tests influenced your life?

I would say the most influential aspect of standardized testing has been 'No Child Left Behind'. Until then, standardized testing did not hold the importance that it does today. Although it has affected me as a teacher, the changes have been positive. It is so easy to become stagnant in this profession. Many times teachers stick to the plan that they believe always worked for them. They hold importance in things like putting on classroom plays and Mother's Day brunches in order to please the population, rather than getting into the nitty gritty.
I understand that those things are important, but all too often I hear veteran teachers complain that they "just can't do the projects they use to anymore." I think education is starting to make a change for the better, and one of those reasons is due to the high expectation of standardized testing. Although it's hard to use one test to determine what a child really is capable of doing, I think it has raised the bar on expectations in education. I have been criticized by older generations that belittle my job as a teacher, and tell me that I am over paid. I think these critics would be amazed to see the changes that have happened in schools today. Maybe soon people will begin to view teaching as a profession, rather than just "baby sitting."