Many principals and teachers have concluded that high-stakes testing, particularly the kind of high-stakes testing which has been mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is doing grave damage to education and to the lives of children. Parents and other community members likewise worry about the consequences of schools focusing on test preparation. In this article, the author discusses the preparation of teachers to work effectively with alternatives to high-stakes testing, which has been mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act and is doing grave damage to education and to the lives of children. Among other things, the author discusses why standardized tests are poor tools for evaluating these important kinds of learning. The author also discusses how formative assessment can have a powerful impact, and how affluent kids get the skills they need for life.