Published: October 1, 1993

'How Is My Child Doing?'

One of the most destructive things a parent can do is compare one child with another. "Your brother plays the piano so much better than you do.'' "Your sister never had any trouble learning long division.'' "Why don't you get good grades, like your friend Alison?'' Yet our system of education relentlessly compares one student with another, using scores on standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests as if they were infallible...