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As a resident of the community where Bell Labs was (is?) headquartered, and following the results of the statewide assessment test that are given to all PUBLIC SCHOOL fourth, eighth and eleventh graders from their beginning, this article is only another bit of the harvest of UNITED STATES PUBLIC EDUCATION that has taken root and been fertilized with the social engineers in the state Department of Education!

Here is one example:
All fourth graders are tested (oops, I mean assessed) in Language Arts, Mathematics and Science. The results are grouped into three levels: I, II, and III with I being the best. I wanted to find out how many students are in Level I for the three skills. In 1991, there were 1308 PUBLIC SCHOOLS with a fourth grade.

Across the entire state, including all the "rich suburbs", there was only ONE school that had more than 10% of their students in Level I for the three skills. Our community has three schools and their results were 7%, 4%, and 2%!

Statewide there are more than 1100 SCHOOLS with ZERO% of their students in Level I for the three skills and this includes some of the wealthiest communities in the state!

Another example:
The grade eleven evaluation is called the High School Proficiency Assessment (we can't call it a test because that might leave a stigma on a student who didn't perform very well!) This evaluation is given in the second month of grade eleven. This is the test which all PUBLIC SCHOOL students must pass in order to graduate from high school.

This means, that at best, the test is a GRADE 10 measure.So the State of New Jersey is certifying that all high school graduates are at least at a GRADE 10 level.

Is this the level of academic excellence that our country needs for the future? What do you think?

"..at best, the test is a GRADE 10 measure..."

It is worse in Ohio: a high school diploma depends only on passing the 9th grade test (and it is really 8th grade level: the better students take the test in 8th grade).

The last bastion of standards, the NY Regents, are starting to come under attack as "too difficult"