What standardized tests can not do--indeed, what almost no test can do--is capture a child's essence. Tests don't speak to the internal factors that play a major role in life success: curiosity, effort, resilience, and compassion. Howard Gardner and Daniel Goleman have each noted that success stems largely from interpersonal skills. Educators know it's crucial for students to develop such qualities. But what do teachers do about it? Although they try to strengthen these qualities in students, the information that they report to parents focuses heavily on academic measurements. In this article, the author suggests that teachers and principals should give their assessments the kind of creativity that they want to see in their students. Principals can't let students become defined by their percentiles. Their job is to facilitate dialogue among teachers and parents about how to measure what counts.