Mr. Perrea said he was a good test taker and had always had the kind of standardized-test scores "that other people are envious of."

Application includes grade transcript, standardized-test scores, teacher recommendations and $30 fee.

Application must include student's grade transcript, standardized-test scores and a teacher's recommendation.

A 2005 study in Northern California found that a television in the bedroom lowered the standardized-test scores of third graders.

As a result, attention is once again being focused on "gifted and talented" students - in practice, the 3 to 5 percent of the elementary-school and high-school population with the highest standardized-test scores.

Of course, even without a standardized-test score, Karl's parents know he's a genius - and they know that they should never, ever use that term.

Are standardized-test scores, on which many schools rely heavily to make promotion or graduation decisions, more indicative of true ability than a ballplayer's weekly average?

Elementary and middle schools would have to show improvements in standardized-test scores in subjects like math and reading.

The scholarships this year, which were announced today, gave equal weight to grade-point averages and standardized-test scores.

In addition, critics argue, some news accounts based on data for all 2,174 public schools have drawn flawed comparisons between per-pupil spending and standardized-test scores in poor cities and wealthy suburbs.