This is where schools have really painted themselves into a corner with "standards-based instruction." If teachers are only grading how well the student met the standard, then why can't the student just fill something in to show "mastery" (lol) and be done with it? Why be in a classroom? But in this process, the skills that are really important for success in life and in workplaces are lost -- skills such as non-cognitive skills (perseverance, delaying gratification, planning and executing complex tasks), communication skills (such as working with other people, listening to other people, collaboration, empathy, having civil discussions, and speaking to groups), and higher-order thinking skills such as research, critical thinking, and problem solving.