My 2cents worth... We started it all back in the 89's when we started pushing problem solving and thinking skills over content. That's a real threat to the narrow minded. It could lead to someone coming to a different conclusion about things. Remember when proposed outcomes included values. They started coming out of the woodwork raising the question, "Who's values?". Outcome based education was scraped and today's teach-to-the-test approach is the result. Making the test the ultimate end insures total of control over what is taught. And as an added plus it creates a path to shut down public schools in favor of private schools. This satisfies two powerful blocs - those who want the kids in a "just like me" and "just as I think environment," and those who are offended that all that money is used in ways that they can't use to make a profit.
