{"id":2400366,"date":"2025-02-07T14:58:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T19:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/education-reformers-push-wisconsin-lawmakers-to-raise-the-bar-for-reading-math-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T14:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T19:59:48","slug":"education-reformers-push-wisconsin-lawmakers-to-raise-the-bar-for-reading-math-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/education-reformers-push-wisconsin-lawmakers-to-raise-the-bar-for-reading-math-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Education reformers push Wisconsin lawmakers to raise the bar for reading, math &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feducation-reformers-push-wisconsin-lawmakers-to-raise-the-bar-for-reading-math-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2400366&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Education reform advocates \u2064in \u200cWisconsin are urging\u2062 lawmakers to revert recent changes\u200b to the state&#8217;s education standards that they argue have lowered the benchmarks for reading and \u200bmath proficiency. \u2064In particular, reform \u2064groups, including the\u200c Badger Institute, \u200bhave criticized the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for lowering the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">proficiency test cut scores<\/a> and detaching them \u2062from national standards, wich they believe compromises the \u2062ability to measure student performance accurately. State Superintendent Jill Underly\u200b ordered these changes, but reformers claim they confuse parents\u2062 regarding \u200cactual student capabilities and\u200b effectiveness in identifying whether\u2062 students meet grade-level expectations. <\/p>\n<p>Republican legislators support reversing the changes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high \u2064educational standards \u2064to ensure\u200d that children are adequately prepared for future academic and career challenges.Underly, however, has characterized \u200bthe legislative efforts as politically motivated attacks on public education rather than genuine\u2062 attempts \u2062at reform. The debate continues \u2062as the State \u2064Assembly prioritizes a bill aimed at reinstating former\u200c educational benchmarks, with the first\u2064 hearing recently held on this issue.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Education reformers push Wisconsin lawmakers to raise the bar for reading, math<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1981754\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash;&nbsp;Calls continue at the Wisconsin Capitol to change back the state&rsquo;s education standards.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Reform groups lined up at the statehouse, pressing Republican lawmakers to return the standards that schools and parents used last year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recently lowered proficiency test cut scores, detached our standards from National Assessment of Educational Progress proficiency levels, and modified the tests of students&rsquo; ability to read and to do math in ways that render comparisons to previous testing data impossible.,&rdquo; The Badger Institute&rsquo;s Mike Nichols said in an open letter about the changes. &ldquo;In short, the changes force Wisconsin to start over with education data after lowering the bar.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>State Superintendent Jill Underly ordered changes the learning standards and the scores for state tests that measure student learning.<\/p>\n<p>Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to change them back.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Reader with the Institute for Reforming Government told lawmakers the changes not only lower the bar, they confuse parents by claiming a lot more students can read or write at grade level.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the 2023 benchmarks that clearly labeled student learning and the 2024 benchmarks that mislabeled them,&rdquo; Reader said. &ldquo;[The National Report card] and 2023 Forward benchmarks used to be simple. Minimal was roughly &lsquo;below grade level,&rsquo; Basic was &lsquo;grade level,&rsquo; Proficient was &lsquo;college- and career-ready,&rsquo; and Advanced was &lsquo;selective college- or career-ready.&rsquo;&rsquo; Instead of simply relabeling them as such, DPI changed the cut scores to new benchmarks that no longer represent grade level.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Reader told lawmakers that reversing the changes and going back to the standards from just a few years ago will better allow schools, lawmakers, and parents to understand if their child can read at grade and write as they should.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Chasing high standards is what is best for kids every year,&rdquo; Reader added.<\/p>\n<p>Underly did not speak to lawmakers at the hearing. Instead, she issued a statement that accused Republicans at the Capitol of attacking public schools.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Republican lawmakers are proving once again they&rsquo;re not interested in real solutions &ndash; they&rsquo;re too <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-dont-know-who-mike-johnson-is-dem-rep-claims-trump-is-gops-real-speaker\/\" title=\"Democrat Representative denies knowledge of Mike Johnson, asserts Trump as true GOP speaker\">busy playing political games<\/a>, using our schools and children as pawns to push their own ideological agenda,&rdquo; Underly said. &ldquo;Rather than empowering local districts, they are intent on ignoring local control and imposing their own control over classrooms, dictating every move and actively trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-medical-association-blasted-after-calling-for-removing-sex-from-birth-certificates\/\" title=\"American Medical Association Blasted After Calling For Removing Sex From Birth Certificates\">undermine public trust<\/a> in our teachers and the entire education system.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The State Assembly has made the plan to change the standard it&rsquo;s top priority, Assembly Bill 1. Thursday was its first hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1981754\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1981754\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wisconsin reformers urge lawmakers to restore previous education standards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2400367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/classroom-education-nnb14r-1024x618.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5152,8869,10176,4353,4124],"class_list":["post-2400366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education","tag-math","tag-reading","tag-reform","tag-wisconsin"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/classroom-education-nnb14r-1024x618.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400366"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400370,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400366\/revisions\/2400370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}