School-aged children like to be judged equally among their peers. Unfortunately, that isn’t happening in some schools nationwide.

A recent study by the National Center on Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesota showed that schools regularly find a way to eliminate disabled students or students with low-level skills during standardized tests.

Schools have been known to send students on field trips or tell them to stay at home.

One mother in Pennsylvania said she was appalled after her 12-year-old son faced such a situation because of his low reading and math skills.

“They didn’t want their scores lowered,” she said about her son’s school.

The school cared more about its reputation than about the students, she said.

When a school shows high testing standards, it is stressed by the entire community. Real estate agents and local officials use the scores to attract new residents and businesses.

The students’ good performance also determines any bonuses principals and teachers may get.

This exclusion has sparked a federal law that goes into effect next year.

It says schools must test all students who are capable of taking the standardized exams and make the results public.

Not conforming to this law would be a sign that schools aren’t working with such students.

Schools with high standardized scores should be commended.

However, they should be equally commended for working with all students, not just students who regularly excel in the classroom.

Testing all students is a sign of progress for schools, especially considering some of these students would have been kept out of school a generation ago.