Virginia Raises the Bar for Students, While Illinois Hides Struggles
Illinois is hiding low student proficiency, whereas Virginia has raised its expectations for students.
Unlike other states addressing the national epidemic of poor reading and math proficiency, Illinois is burying the problem by lowering the scores needed to be considered proficient.
- Illinois approved a plan to lower cut scores in reading and math on state assessments.
- Virginia's board of education voted to raise cut scores in reading and math, pushing transparency.
Illinois is more concerned with inflating proficiency rates than improving students' actual performance in core subjects.
Author's summary: Virginia prioritizes transparency, raising the bar for students.