What is considered intelligent?

It seems like all children do these days in school is being prepared for a range of test taking. I believe that teachers and the school system focus way to much on teaching for the test that they are not focusing on what is important and what the children really need to be learning. I don't believe a test can rate a child's intelligence because a test doesn't show everything one may know. Children learn from school classes, but they also learn from others by watching them. Children learn skills and traits, they learn about values, jobs, how people live and this all influences a child's knowledge and learning. Also, some children are not good at test taking, so even if they do know the material the test will not show that because they do bad on test taking. Testing in my opinion doesn't show the whole person and what they are capable of and the knowledge they have.
I believe test should be given to see what area the child needs more help in and set up a class plan of action to help the child be successful in school and encourage them to go on in school and make something of them self in the work force when they get older. You don't want to give them test to separate them into classes that label them very smart and not. This will only lower their self esteem and will not motivate them. As teachers we suppose to be motivators and supporters for the children to be successful.

I chose to look at the Finland School System:

In Finland high school students rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night and children don't start school to the age of 7. There are no classes for the gifted students and no recognition organizations for those who achieve. Also, there is little in the way of standardized testing.
There is little grading and in essence no tracking in Finland. When you reach the 9th grade it becomes a divider as students are separated for the last 3 years of high school based on grades. Under current structure, 53% will go to academic high school and the rest will enter vocational school.
There are 20 universities and students are selected based on the results of entrance exams. The schools are free to students. Another higher education and is also free is the polytechnics schools. These schools offer a very close link to working life with focus on developing expert skills for various different vocational sectors. Entrance requirements must pass the traditional academic high school matriculation exam or have completed their vocational qualification.

Thomas. Several lessons to be learned from the Finnish school system. Retrieved December 8, 2010 from
http://www.openeducation.net/2008/03/10/several-lessons-to-be-learned-from-the-finnish-...