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Chicago Tribune
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Bruce Rauner: Don't lower the bar for Illinois students
If you've ever watched the high jump event in track and field, you know they raise the bar a little at a time to determine who can clear the greatest height without knocking the bar to the ground. It's exhilarating to watch each athlete rise to the challenge. Now imagine if they did it in reverse, lowering the bar in each round so everyone feels good about their performance and gets awarded a medal. It would spare some frustration and disappointment, but it also would defeat the entire purpose of the event — and no one would ever improve. The same principle applies in education. If we keep lowering expectations to create the illusion of success, we fail the very students we claim to be helping. According to state education officials, Illinois currently has 'some of the highest proficiency benchmarks in the nation.' Yet instead of keeping that bar high or even raising it, they're proposing reworking the state's benchmarking system because it 'unfairly mislabels students.' State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders recently proposed that Illinois lower its state assessment standards to 'provide us with more accurate data.' Lowering the standards doesn't make the scores more accurate. It sends the wrong signal to students and creates misinformation for parents and educators that results in more students falling through the cracks. This is part of a troubling trend picking up steam across the country. In 2024, Oklahoma and Wisconsin revised their academic standards by lowering the passing scores on their state tests. As a result, students this year were not required to demonstrate the same level of mastery as those in previous years. This change means that some students who would have previously been identified as needing additional support are now considered to be meeting expectations. Oklahoma realized the folly in lowering the bar and recently reversed course to reinstate higher expectations. According to the Nation's Report Card, a biannual assessment of math and reading administered to students in every state, Illinois needs to commit to more rigorous standards, not weaken them. This year's scores showed stagnant or declining results in the number of fourth grade students able to score at or above proficient for math and reading. By lowering expectations on state assessments, the number of students listed as below, at or above proficient could look wildly different than the scores reported by National Assessment of Educational Progress. This is what is known as an 'honesty gap.' It's an active choice to fudge proficiency scores because state leaders believe they're unfair. Lowering expectations for students in Illinois will only widen the honesty gap between state-reported performance and how students actually compare to their peers nationwide, leaving them unprepared for the realities they'll face after graduation. That's the most unfair thing we can do to our students. Numerous studies have shown a strong connection between reading achievement and long-term outcomes, such as college enrollment and lifetime earnings. Similarly, a recent Urban Institute study found that raising math scores by just 0.5 standard deviations for students up to age 12 led to greater increases in earnings by age 30 than any other factor examined. We don't want our students to be unprepared for the academic or professional challenges they will face after K-12 education. This is why Illinois should instead look to bolster current standards with more comprehensive policy solutions that will support students where they are: promoting and challenging those who are testing above proficiency and providing rapid evidence-based interventions and support to those who are testing below proficiency in an effort to bring them up to speed. Illinois policymakers just voted to give more than $300 million in additional funding to public schools. Billions of dollars in new spending has been allocated since we passed historic school funding reform in 2017, yet accountability continues to be eroded. Taxpayers deserve to know whether that additional funding leads to students improving in meaningful, measurable ways. Consistently high standards are the only way to ensure that. It might feel good in the short term to see more students clear the bar, but those same students are likely to wind up more disadvantaged in the long run because they won't get the support they need to make real improvement. Bruce Rauner was the 42nd governor of Illinois.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Fires 13 Members of Education Research Board
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order about dismantling the Education Department alongside Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2025. Credit - Chen Mengtong—China News Service/VCG via Getty Images The Trump Administration fired all 13 Biden-appointed members of a key federal education research board last month, a move that drew sharp rebuke from former members amid the Administration's ongoing campaign to dismantle the Department of Education. The firings, carried out on May 23, targeted the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES), which Congress established in 2002 to advise the Department of Education's research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The board—whose members include researchers, educators, and civic leaders—had been tasked with shaping the Department's $900 million research agenda, including approving priorities, overseeing peer-reviewed grants, and advising on efforts to close achievement gaps across race, income, and disability status. The future of that work is now unclear, as the new Administration has slashed much of that spending. The dismissals are the latest blow to a board that has struggled for more than a decade to maintain its statutory role. For much of President Donald Trump's first term, he did not appoint enough members to NBES to fill the 15-member board. They didn't hold any meetings over those four years, according to the board's web page. 'We can confirm that the Department fired thirteen Biden appointees to the National Board for Education Sciences on May 23,' said Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a statement to TIME. 'One of the core duties of a board member is to ensure that activities are objective, nonideological, and free of partisan influence—they failed.' Biedermann cited poor student outcomes, excessive spending on research contracts, and the alleged politicization of federal research as justification for the purge. She said new appointees will be announced to 'drive forward President Trump and Secretary McMahon's vision' for education reform, which emphasizes decentralization and a sharp reduction in the federal government's role. 'As reflected in the dismal results of the recent Nation's Report Card, these board members stood by as student outcomes declined nationwide, oversaw research contracts that took gross advantage of the American taxpayer without delivering improvements in teaching and learning, and allowed partisan ideologies to seep into taxpayer-funded research and development,' Biedermann said. But former board members and education advocates say the firings are part of a broader and deeply political effort to discredit scientific research and roll back protections for vulnerable student populations. Shaun Harper, a University of Southern California professor who was among those dismissed, said he wasn't surprised by the Trump Administration's decision but disagreed with how they have characterized the board's work. 'We committed to spending four years in the unpaid role because we all want the best for our democracy,' he wrote in an op-ed for TIME published Wednesday. 'We approached our work as experts, not as politically-polarizing activists who somehow sought to advance anti-American agendas.' 'Without knowing or even asking what this entailed, it is possible that the Trump Administration presumed this to be a hotbed of DEI activities that privileged wokeness over merit,' he added. 'I never participated in nor witnessed this. There is no evidence of such wrongdoing.' The Trump Administration has made no secret of its disdain for the Department of Education itself. Trump has vowed repeatedly to abolish the agency, though a recent federal court ruling temporarily blocked his executive order aimed at doing just that. Judge Myong J. Joun of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction ordering the reinstatement of thousands of department employees fired as part of the Administration's downsizing campaign. In testimony before Congress, Education Secretary McMahon acknowledged that as many as three-fourths of the roughly 2,000 staff members who had been fired at the agency had been dismissed under restructuring efforts led by Elon Musk, who formerly led the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The NBES firings come amid mounting concern over the future of the Institute of Education Sciences itself. According to department employees and internal emails reviewed by NPR, many IES contracts were canceled within the first two months of Trump's second term. These include long-term studies on math interventions, data collection on homeschooling, and surveys related to private education and career training. One canceled program had already been deployed in classrooms across multiple states. Founded under President George W. Bush as part of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the IES and its advisory board were created to bring scientific rigor to the education field. The NBES in particular was tasked with ensuring that federal education research is objective, equitable, and informed by practitioners and scientists alike. Harper warned of the long-term implications of terminating members of the board without replacements: 'Consequently, students with disabilities will be even more underserved. Inequities between rich and poor, as well as white and racially diverse learners, will widen. Congress and educational leaders will have even less access to trustworthy, high-quality research on what works.' Write to Nik Popli at
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana K-3 students improve reading skills, LDOE reports
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Literacy screener results show that Louisiana students in grades K-3 have improved reading during the school year. The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) said end-of-year results showed a 17-point increase in the percentage of students reading on or above grade level. This was the second year that students K-3 were required to complete literacy screeners. 'Strong teachers, sound policy, and strategic investments have resulted in historic education outcomes for Louisiana,' said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. 'We're proud of the progress, but far from satisfied. I'm pleased with the work of teachers in partnership with parents to prompt this growth.' Results show growth: Kindergarten: 33-point growth First grade: 19-point growth Second grade: 11-point growth Third grade: eight-point growth See the finalists for Louisiana teacher, principal of the year Louisiana education leaders credit students' reading improvement to its literacy plan using phonics, high-dosage tutoring, and parent engagement efforts. All public schools are required to complete literacy screeners for K-3. A policy requiring third graders to meet promotion requirements is used to identify students who need more reading help. LDOE said students have three chances to show their reading proficiency by scoring above the lowest achievement level. Gov. Jeff Landry celebrates as Louisiana students' rankings move up in Nation's Report Card Louisiana joined Arkansas and North Carolina in states taking action on all 18 of ExcelinEd's principles in a national comparison of comprehensive early literacy policy released in 2024. LDOE announced in February that the state ranked first in reading recovery from 2019 to 2024 on the Education Recovery Scorecard. According to a news release, an analysis found that pandemic relief contributed to academic recovery, specifically when directed to summer learning and tutoring. The state received $4 billion for K-12 schools. Baton Rouge bids final farewell to former mayor Kip Holden 1 dead, 1 hurt after car crashes into Bayou Plaquemine in Iberville Parish Addis native John Foster shares journey after 'American Idol' Who were the victims of the shooting outside the DC Jewish Museum? GOP campaign arm tells Republicans to 'go on offense' messaging Trump agenda bill Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Linda McMahon's claim that 70% of 8th-graders 'can't read proficiently' lacks a bit of reading comprehension
Claim: In the United States, 70% of eighth-grade students cannot read at grade-level proficiency. Rating: What's True: In 2024, 70% of U.S. eighth-graders did not meet the "National Assessment of Educational Progress Proficient" reading achievement level on a test often referred to as the "Nation's Report Card." What's False: National Assessment of Educational Progress scores are not representative of grade-level performance, per the Department of Education's website. According to 2022 data, most state reading standards are closer to the NAEP Basic level, and 67% of eighth-graders in 2024 met that standard. On May 15, 2025, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon claimed that 70% of the country's eighth-graders "can't read proficiently." "When we see scores that 70% — 70% of eighth-graders can't read at grade level or read proficiently, and that actually, when you go into high school, you see that same percentage," McMahon alleged in a clip posted on X from a discussion with Marissa Streit, CEO of the conservative advocacy group PragerU. Social media users on X and Facebook repeated McMahon's claim. McMahon appeared to be citing a legitimate 2024 statistic on reading levels from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often known as the "Nation's Report Card" because it's the "largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do," according to its website. A Department of Education spokesperson, Ellen Keast, confirmed McMahon was referring to the NAEP. However, that 70% data point isn't indicative of grade-level proficiency — in fact, the Education Department's own website for NAEP data cautioned that it "does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments)." Thus, we rate this claim a mixture of truth and falsehood. The Education Department notes that NAEP achievement levels "are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and read with caution" until "the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public," which has not happened as of this writing. It is also worth noting that 2024 NAEP scores for 12th-graders — the only high-school level tested — aren't out yet; in fact, the last time the federal government tested 12th-graders on the NAEP was in 2019, when 37% of high schoolers met or exceeded the NAEP Proficient reading level. Thus, it is not possible to verify McMahon's claim regarding high schoolers' proficiency levels, as the publicly available information is outdated. As referenced by McMahon, in 2024, 70% of eighth-grade students read below the NAEP Proficient level. (National Assessment of Educational Progress) The National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the NAEP, defined "NAEP Proficient" as "competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills." Detailed explanations of the different NAEP levels are available online. The governing board called the idea that the NAEP Proficient level is equivalent to grade-level proficiency a "common misconception" and listed it as a myth in an informational sheet: Myth: The NAEP Proficient level is like being on grade level. Fact: NAEP Proficient means competency over challenging subject matter. This is not the same as being "on grade level," which refers to performance on local curriculum and standards. NAEP is a general assessment of knowledge and skills in a particular subject. The board even said in its explainer about the NAEP Proficient level that "NAEP Proficient is defined differently than other uses of the term," thus outright contradicting McMahon's claim that it represents how many students "can read proficiently." Not every student is tested; instead, NAEP uses a representative sample. The assessment also cannot be used "to figure out 'grade level,' which depends on performance on local curriculum and tests," according to the board. Education policy experts often criticize the assessment criteria for setting unrealistic standards: "Scholarly panels have reviewed the NAEP achievement standards and found them flawed," Tom Loveless, former director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings, wrote in 2016. "The highest scoring nations of the world would appear to be mediocre or poor performers if judged by the NAEP proficient standard." The NAEP website addresses this criticism, calling its standards an "aspirational goal" for what students should be able to do. NAEP also previously tracked whether state standards for reading proficiency map onto NAEP levels, and according to 2022 data, only six states have reading proficiency standards at the NAEP Proficient Level. In contrast, 48 states had standards at or above the NAEP Basic level, one step below NAEP Proficient. In 2024, 67% of eighth-grade students met or exceeded the NAEP Basic level. That was a drop from 73% in 2019. "A Closer Look at NAEP." National Assessment Governing Board, Accessed 16 May 2025. "Explore Results for the 2022 NAEP Reading Assessment." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025. Jacobson, Linda. "Report Says NAEP's 'Proficiency' Term Is Misleading." K-12 Dive, 17 Jan. 2018, Accessed 16 May 2025. Loveless, Tom. "The NAEP Proficiency Myth." Brookings, 13 June 2016, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP - Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto NAEP Scales." National Center for Education Statistics, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP Guides - Scale Scores and Achievement Levels." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP Nations Report Card - the NAEP Reading Achievement Levels by Grade." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP Reading: Reading Results." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP Report Cards - about the Nation's Report Card." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025. "NAEP State Mapping." Department of Education, Accessed 16 May 2025.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
My biggest problems as a high school teacher ― none were the school's fault
Here we go! It's the obligatory but all-important EDUCATION column. But let's skip the ivory tower talk. I'm writing as a foot soldier ― a teacher who's been in the trenches. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, women now make up roughly 60% of the college population. It's one of several reminders that young men are falling behind. But this column isn't just about boys. It's about raising the tide for all boats. Here were the four biggest problems I faced as a high school teacher: 1. Smartphones 2. Absenteeism 3. Sleep deprivation 4. Incomplete homework Let's pause to acknowledge something: Policing these issues isn't the school's job ― it's the parents'. Warning — Put on your bib. On the menu is humble pie. Please, please, please read on. According to Statista, 95% of teenagers now own a smartphone. (Oddly, only 90% of adults do.) These weapons of mass distraction should be regulated with the same urgency we apply to gun safety. While Oklahoma's new Bell-to-Bell-No-Cell law may reduce screen time during school hours, the rest is on parents. Next up: Attendance. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, 1 in 5 students is chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 10% of the school year. Parents, it's your job to get your kids to the school's front doors every morning. And guess what? There's a free Uber-like service already in place. It's called the school bus. More: Worried about porn in libraries? Do you know what your child is looking at on their phone? If your child is sleeping through class, they're effectively absent. Kids are young mammals. And all young mammals need sleep. What's your household policy? A.) Lights out and phones off, or B.) Midnight scroll-a-thons and TikTok marathons? As for homework, there's a direct correlation between doing it and succeeding in the classroom. Do parents need to be tutors? Absolutely not. There are hundreds of excellent YouTube videos on every subject. But someone still needs to proctor the homework habit. While I have your attention, the icing on the cake would be weed-free, polite kids who come to school with an attitude to learn. These are your family's representatives ― not the school's. Now, schools ― it's your turn. You've been entrusted with educating the next generation of CEOs, community leaders and public servants. Even the future president of the United States is a student somewhere. The stakes couldn't be higher. Every other year, the NAEP issues the 'Nation's Report Card,' testing fourth- and eighth-graders nationwide in reading and math. Contrary to popular belief, it does not rank states 1–50. But here's how Oklahoma performed: Reading proficiency ― fourth grade: 23% (national average: 30%); eighth grade: 20% (national average: 29%) Math proficiency ― fourth grade: 31% (national average: 39%); eighth grade: 17% (national average: 27%) If you must know how Oklahoma ranks nationally, try 43rd, 48th and 49th ― per U.S. News & World Report, EdWeek and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, respectively. Rather than focus on the fundamentals of reading and math, too many decision-makers seem more interested in sparking culture wars with trigger words like "woke agenda," "Bibles" and "terrorists." It's like jangling keys to distract from what really matters. God forbid educators hold themselves accountable. More: I'm a former high school teacher. We need DEI, but discourse must center on civility | Opinion And here's a stat you don't hear much about: According to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, per-student spending has risen from $9,067 in 2017 to $13,736 in 2024. That's a 51% increase! Even accounting for temporary federal COVID relief (which ended last September), that's significant. All the money went to teacher pay and smaller classrooms. I'm JOKING! State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters and school districts, when ― if ever –― does the buck stop with you? After 38 years in Los Angeles, K. John Lee recently boomeranged back to his Oklahoma roots. He is a financier, real estate investor, former high school teacher and a father of two young men. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Schools can't fix all the problems with education | Opinion
