"It defies logic and common sense to align a test to a curriculum that hasn't been fully unpacked yet, " Tanis said.

WSJ: Some NY parents to boycott new, harder state tests

But the history curriculum in English schools seems to have sacrificed a sense of the narrative history of the "common people".

BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | How about some British history?

Although they follow school board-approved curriculum and standards, instructors can easily rearrange lessons to "make better sense for the kids" -- making better connections between different subject matter, Ursetta said.

CNN: Teacher turns 'crazy idea' into new school