Standards-outcomes and EQ's

Good session with Melissa and cadre members in the 6o'clock session. Amazing how many of the teachers in our cadre-Ones I know are good teachers-have "managed" somehow to make it by without really keying their instruction to standards. Makes ya wonder huh? How necessary are they...(the standards etc-not these teachers!) How many of the standards-strung educators could be classed with this group? Not many I think...
So is the standard misapplied or just misunderstood? Is it too much to ask? Can we have accountability without a standard? Is that even a question that should be asked...Or has a misapplication of the standard and the role of accountability and assessment in education clouded the goals and outcomes of education as a whole. Looking backward: What would the "Essential Question" of the "lesson plan for American Education" look like? Do they really match the stated goals?