Standardized testing

I do think that standardized tests should be a part of education. There needs to be some level of national testing, so that schools from different regions, cites, etc. can be compared to each other and held to some level of national standard. If every school and teacher had their own tests, there would be no way to tell if those students are being given their grades, if the tests are inaccurate, or if the students are not receiving at least a basic level of knowledge. I don't think that these tests should be any part of the student's grades or be punishable in any way, it should be more of almost like a research poll, to see what common knowledge kids share and have mastered.