A question of right and wrong
Why state test changes from Jill Underly and DPI are bad for students, families, and schools
‘Colleston's Corner' is a dedicated space curated by CFC executive director, Colleston Morgan Jr. to include insights on critical issues facing Milwaukee’s students and the schools that serve them.
City Forward Collective released our annual review of results from this spring’s state assessments today. The analysis covers the Forward Exam for students in grades 3-8, and the ACT series of tests for high school students.
The data reveal a continued academic crisis for Milwaukee students, with more than 80% of students citywide failing to meet expectations. Gaps in performance between Milwaukee and the state are growing wider, and even more so for vulnerable and historically underserved student groups.
However, our assessment of this year’s results begins not with the results, but with the data itself.
CITY FORWARD COLLECTIVE’S TAKE: Superintendent Jill Underly & DPI’s decisions to lower expectations for students, and the associated changes made to Wisconsin state assessments, are harmful to students, bad for families, and do a disservice to educators and all stakeholders in our state’s K12 schools.
LOWERING STANDARDS, BLURRING THE PICTURE
In most years, analyzing educational data is a straightforward process, allowing for clear year-over-year performance comparisons. However, this year stands in stark contrast. The Department of Public Instruction, at the direction of State Superintendent Jill Underly, has implemented a series of ill-considered changes, hastily pushed through without proper deliberation and full stakeholder input, that both lowered the bar and muddied the picture of student outcomes and school performance.
These alterations have not only lowered expectations for our students, but have also made it nearly impossible to accurately assess current performance against previous years. This denies students & families an honest picture of their performance and academic readiness, and denies all stakeholders in our state’s publicly-funded schools the honest & transparent data needed for meaningful decision-making and informed accountability.
These alterations have not only lowered expectations for our students, but have also made it nearly impossible to accurately assess current performance against previous years.
The situation is made worse by the dissemination of misleading and inaccurate spin from Superintendent Underly and her top deputies, obscuring the true state of education in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin. And we already know that there’s still more of a mess to come - DPI has already indicated its intent to manipulate the state Report Card results in a similar fashion.
As James Baldwin said, nothing can be changed until it is faced — but instead of facing up to our state’s educational challenges, Superintendent Underly & DPI have chosen to blur the picture. Students, families, and educators in Milwaukee and across the state deserve an honest assessment and a clear picture of how schools are doing — and this year’s changes fail to provide the clarity needed.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS, BELOW COLLEGE-READY
The ACT serves as a prime example of the problematic nature of these decisions. Unlike the Forward Exam, the ACT is developed and administered by an independent organization, ensuring consistency over time. However, DPI retains the power to set cut scores, determining which students meet state standards on the test.
At Superintendent Jill Underly's direction, DPI lowered the ACT score required to meet state standards from 22 to 19, significantly below the ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks. This change has created a new category, buried in DPI's data portal: "Meeting Expectations, Below College Ready," encompassing more than 3,500 Wisconsin students in ELA and more than 7,000 students in Math - or more than 1 in 10 testing students.
At Superintendent Jill Underly's direction, DPI lowered the ACT score required to meet state standards from 22 to 19, significantly below the ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks.
The name is bad enough - but its meaning has profound implications for the futures of the high school students who are included in this group:
College-bound students in this group are likely to need remedial classes, leading to longer completion times, lower graduation rates, and potentially higher student debt.
Moreover, under-prepared students entering college-level courses face a greater than 25% chance of failing, and over a 50% chance of earning less than a B, according to ACT's data.
Those entering the workforce may find themselves at a significant disadvantage in terms of career opportunities and earning potential. Using the nursing field as an example, the salary difference for a student earning a 22 on the ACT is more than double that of a student earning a 19 - approximately $45,000 per year.
These consequences highlight the potential long-term impact of lowering standards on students' academic and professional futures.
A QUESTION OF RIGHT & WRONG — NOT RIGHT AND LEFT
At City Forward Collective, our stance on this issue is grounded in our core values and guiding principles. We firmly believe in the inherent potential of every Milwaukee child and that every school serving Milwaukee's students must be held accountable for delivering results.
As Governor Evers aptly stated, "We need as high of standards as possible. High standards are important for students in Milwaukee and in Superior." Lowering expectations moves us away from this crucial goal — one that has long received bipartisan support in Wisconsin.
Our objections stem from this set of foundational beliefs, that every child is capable of mastering challenging grade-level content, and that schools should be accountable for making this happen. This isn't a new position for us; we've consistently advocated for high standards in our public statements and directly to state leaders.
Opposition to these changes has come from across the ideological spectrum
Our criticism of DPI and Superintendent Underly's decisions isn’t rooted in partisanship — though we’re aware of the timing of these decisions, and the upcoming elections for State Superintendent. For us, it's not a matter of right versus left — but of right versus wrong.
Opposition to these changes has come from across the ideological spectrum – beyond Governor Evers’ comments, criticism has come from former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the Institute for Reforming Government, and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. This broad-based nature of the concerns further underscores the gravity of the issue at hand.
We join others in calling for a reversal of these ill-considered changes and a return to Wisconsin’s prior, more rigorous standards. We support efforts to ensure meaningful oversight of DPI in making future changes so that no single elected official can undermine our state’s high standards for students in this fashion ever again. And, as we do when the facts and our engagement compel us to take a stand, we will advocate for these changes to be made, including as part of our upcoming legislative session priorities.
Expecting the best from students in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin isn't a partisan issue — it's a civic, economic, and moral imperative. It's about ensuring that every child, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the opportunity to reach their full potential and succeed in an increasingly competitive world.