Chicago Tribune
Illinois' latest school report cards are dismal. Of 666 public high schools, only eight — that's not a misprint, eight — met federal standards for reading and math. Scores declined to a record low. Elementary and middle schools fared better than the high schools, but six in 10 still missed the mark.
Some educators want to blame the tests — not the schools or the principals or the teachers — for this performance. They say the Illinois Standards Achievement Test taken by elementary school students is too easy and the Prairie State Achievement Examination taken by high school juniors is too hard...