Chicago Trib on grade school test scores

When we are trying to figure out how things are going in District 95, it is interesting to look at test scores. Compare them to Cairo, Giant City and Unity Point, see how things look. I have been waiting for someone to tell me that District 95's scores are up, so they must be doing a good job. But, like my earlier writings about college GPA and test results, now we find that Illinois has watered down their testing standards. Having a superintendent who lies to parents surely didn't help district 95 either.

Here is today's Chicago Trib article about Illinois inflating test scores in the school system. It is sad. Says the article -

But testing experts and critics suggest that the unprecedented growth is more likely the result of changes to the exams.

Most notably, the state dramatically lowered the passing bar on the 8th-grade math test. As a result--after hovering at about 50 percent for five years--the pass rate shot up to 78 percent last year.

Are we going to accept this from the state? These are the kids that will be going to SIU in just 4 years.

I'm waiting for a professor from SIU to send in a comment and say the Trib just doesn't understand, I have talked to hundreds of teachers and learned nothing about the truth.