He contended that our repetition of the same curriculum, year after year, turns pupils off at an early stage. Once students are turned off, they don't bounce back. Professor Schmidt cited textbooks as one of the major impediments to learning. Most countries have texts which read like a book and don't present a plethora of two page lessons that must be covered at an inordinately fast pace. He appealed to our pocketbooks by stating that we are wasting taxpayer money on these ineffective and expensive materials.
Standardized tests present another serious impediment.
Similarly, the newly adopted state assessments only match the standards when it comes to whole number arithmetic. So, even when states are adopting standards, they are still caught in a system that is working against positive change. The voluminous texts lack coherence, depth and rigor. The standardized tests cover little more than arithmetic, and yet students and teachers are accountable for their scores. By contrast our counterparts have adopted standards which can be met, and their assessments match the standards that students are expected to meet.