Of course, I'm not saying that the lower order skills are not important -- as you say, they're foundational. And I'm not even saying that it's a bad idea to tes

Of course, I'm not saying that the lower order skills are not important -- as you say, they're foundational. And I'm not even saying that it's a bad idea to test lower order skills. But they're not the only important thing, and "teaching to the test" tends to treat them like they are and prioritize them over critical thinking, synthesis, and creative skills.