The Bar is Being Lowered

Want to get notified about new posts? Join the mailing list and follow on X/Twitter.

Academic standards are collapsing because students are no longer held accountable for demonstrating real mastery. Grades increasingly reflect compliance and negotiation rather than competence.

NAEP math and reading scores – the country’s most reliable measure of student achievement – have been falling, while grades and high school graduation rates have been increasing.

The only explanation is that the bar is being lowered. For instance, around half of U.S. states required students to pass a standardized exam to graduate high school in 2000. Today, only eight do.

Want to get notified about new posts? Join the mailing list and follow on X/Twitter.