Testing, Testing Everywhere

It is somewhat amazing to watch the way a school functions once it is time for a standardized testing. We are currently involved with benchmark testing and there seems to be a glazed look on many teachers' faces. Teachers talking about the results, the amount of time they have to spend analyzing the results, what they can and can't do for follow up. I do not envy them at all. When I was a classroom teacher there were not benchmark tests for my course (thank goodness). I wonder if the students feel the pressure that their teachers feel for these tests. Do they understand what their teachers are going though? Do they care? Does it make a difference? The students hear about the importance of their SOL's but are the benchmarks more of a concern for the teachers?