The current preoccupation in the United States with test-based accountability is founded on a set of faulty assumptions--about education practices elsewhere in the world, about international test score comparisons, and about the extent to which test scores are valid indicators of the quality of education or the state of the economy. For example, it is often assumed that the rest of the developed world is one high-achieving country, that other countries have found the "right" way to improve student achievement, and that international test score rankings are valid measures of the quality of education. These assumptions are not supported by the evidence. Examples of testing practices in England, Turkey, Germany, Singapore, Japan, and China provide a context for standardized testing worldwide. (Contains 1 endnote.)