Last spring, all third through eighth graders in New York State took a new test called the Common Core. On Wednesday, the state released the sobering data. According to the New York Post, 7 in 10 students statewide failed to pass the new testing standard, and 8 in 10 minority students failing to pass.
The Common Core set a higher learning standard for students. For months, state officials had said fewer students would pass the exam, and that is exactly what happened.
In an editorial, the New York Post argues that these new test scores are not a setback. The real problem was allowing New York State students to be held at such a low standard before today:
"Now there's no hiding the failures. And that's a good thing. Because there's no way we can raise standards until we have an accurate measure in place.
"It's a good thing we're no longer letting our students get by with tests that show they are learning when they aren't. But it won't get better until we start insisting on the same for our political class — by not letting them get away with pretend solutions that leave the rotten status quo intact."
