Even without sanity (which would definitely be preferable), ANY standardized tests let parents compare the performance of their child with the performance of other students across the nation. If children in my town score an average of 30/100 on ANY test, while children in neighboring areas (or even states) are scoring 60/100, then the lies are exposed.
No, there can be politically correct testing, especially in areas like social studies. What value does a standard of a twisted ruler serve?
There is rampant cheating on the tests by teachers and administrators, so the results of comparing schools are highly suspect. To see that an inner city school achieves the same or even better scores than nearby suburban schools should send up red flags everywhere.