Tests of academic progress such as those enforced by No Child Left Behind Act are the only practical way to hold schools accountable for educating all children and are therefore essential to the twin aims of quality and fairness. Many of the complaints against the No Child Left Behind law pertain to the supposedly harmful influence of intensive preparation for the standardized reading tests. These objections seem justified only because there is a lack of fit between the kind of education that promotes significant progress in reading and the kind of education that the schools have currently devised in their unsuccessful attempts to raise scores on reading tests. In this article, the author outlines some of facts about reading tests that are not widely known yet but are needed to be familiarized by parents, teachers, and citizens who are interested in educational improvement. The author shows how standardized reading tests can foster a rich and formative education that meets the requirements of adequate yearly progress for all groups with flying colors. (Contains 10 notes.)