  A very good friend of mine with loads more experience in teaching English as a second language gave me some reasons on the importance of teaching people how to use a VCR in America. To the best of my understanding, English and American life skills need to be taught through the English language, which is the whole point of ESL (as opposed to teaching EFL, English as a Foreign Language). Thusly, separate testing, state regulated or not, is needed to make sure that students are understanding the American environment by way of American English. This is the difference between teaching a language through translation and teaching a language through concepts that are shaped by the language itself.
An example might be the way Spanish speakers refer to things that they like. English speakers will say "I like this. " Spanish speakers say "Este me gusta," or literally, "This pleases me. " This shapes attitudes by expressing how things serve us to our liking, or how things contribute to our own good. The difference is subtle but powerful in that syntax can help to express either our need for things to serve our desires or our appreciation pf things that serve our desires. Apologia: Have separate classes for life skills. Or, have classes that teach both. I'm guessing that these classes exist but my lack of experience leaves me ignorant. Obviously, in either case, there is a lack of congruence between state mandated testing and what is actually taught in ESL classes in this state. 
