'Children Succeed' With Character, Not Test Scores
It is important to note that Paul Tough is not suggesting that test score don't matter. He is suggesting that they are not the only thing that matters. Further, he is suggesting that much research indicates that a students ability or willingness to stick to a task in order to achieve a goal (performance character) has a significant impact on student success and that we should pay some attention to developing that skill in our system of education. Test scores absolutely matter as a measure of student progress and a piece of the data picture.