“Underly noted other states, such as Oklahoma and New York, have recently lowered their testing benchmarks”
Are standards lower?
DPI officials have defended the new benchmarks, saying they align more directly with the state’s Forward Exam and teaching standards. Underly noted other states, such as Oklahoma and New York, have recently lowered their testing benchmarks.
However, the Institute for Reforming Government, a conservative think tank, points to changes for the benchmarks on ACT testing.
The changes adopted last year mean students who score a 19 on the exam are considered to be meeting expectations. That standard was formerly labeled as “proficient,” but the DPI also softened the language with changing the cut scores, replacing terms like “basic” and “below basic” with “approaching expectations” and “developing.”
“[The ACT] passing standard basically went from a 21 to a 19,” Klabon said. “That is the definition of lowering standards.”
The ACT, itself considers a 19 at the low end of its “average score range,” which includes scores between 17 and 24. According to a 2011 primer put together by the Portage School District, a 19 on the ACT would’ve been lower than the minimum score required for admission to every UW System school.
According to DPI data, the average statewide composite ACT score in the 2023-24 school year was 19.2.
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much more on Jill Underly and reduced rigor.
Related: Act 10
Did taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI Superintendent Underly Juice Test Scores for Reelection?
taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?
