Does teaching to the test become the goal rather than are pupils learning? If mandated tests must be passed by learners in order to be promoted to the next higher grade level, high stakes are involved for both the pupil and the public school teacher with neither one desiring to fail. There is much tension and anxiety on the part of the involved pupil and his/her teacher. Might this energy be saved more so for teaching and learning situations. More emphasis should be placed upon the teacher through observation appraising the learner in all dimensions, especially, the academic, the social, and the emotional facets of development. Thus, the observant teacher can provide immediate assistance if pupils, for example, are not able to identify a word in reading. Or, pupils who do not get along with others might well be assisted to achieve more optimally in the human relations dimension. Then too, good attitudes may be developed in assisting in emotional development within learners. The present system of mandated learning with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has no room for and does not stress social and emotional achievement. Pupils memorizing much content for NCLB testing are not learning to think which should be the ultimate goal of education. Thinking through what has been learned takes time and pupils need to possess the mental tools to think and make decisions, based on the best ideas available.