This brochure is in the public domain. Feel free to photocopy or reprint it. American children must be ready to learn from the first day of school. And of course, preparing children for school is a historic responsibility of parents. It's a loaded word.
Tests are important, especially to school children.
A test may measure a basic skill. It can affect a year's grade. Or, if it measures the ability to learn, it can affect a child's placement in school. So it's important to do well on tests. Besides, the ability to do well on tests can help throughout life in such things as getting a driver's license, trying out for sports, or getting a job.