A high school math teacher describes how U.S. schools unwittingly erode student learning by using assessments to emphasize the wrong goals. He claims that students have begun to see school as a "game" in which collecting the most points--seen as "capital" or wealth--leads them to success. Instead, he argues, assessment should mean being keenly aware of what students know and understand; having sufficient evidence of this understanding; and offering a grade that accurately reflects this. Only in this way will our students internalize the concept that their ultimate goal is to learn something and gain long-term understanding.