In 1904, a report was published by the Mosely Educational Commission to the United States on a number of observations and comparisons between schools in the United States and in England.  The report was based on visits by twenty-five Commission members the preceding fall.  The members were all distinguished educators in England at the time.

It's interesting to read from a perspective that is more than 100 years old regarding the disdain for an educational system (their own) driven by testing and their appreciation for the American system that did not rely on testing.  Here are two excerpts from the study:

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I'll let you draw your own conclusions but isn't it interesting that a century later, we have totally transformed our educational system with its dependance on high-stakes testing into an institution previously found to be dysfunctional?