EEEEEK! Benchmarks

Okay, so I think I need just a small, mini rant.   Today, my students took one part of the NWEA, which is a three part test in ELA/Math that we use as a benchmark.  From what I think (based on the teachers who saw my kids test), they rushed through it, were inattentive, and scores went down.  Significantly.  Does anyone else have this problem with benchmarks?  I am so worried now about their scores!  But honestly, can someone really get less intelligent after being in class for 3 months?  eeeeek