A Dangerous Step Backward for Our Kids
- Laurie Parman Ed .D
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
As a 30-year educator in Illinois public schools and a proud conservative who believes in accountability, merit, and helping students to “struggle forward”, I am deeply troubled by the Illinois State Board of Education's recent decision to slash proficiency standards on state assessments. This move, approved just weeks ago, isn't the "alignment" with national benchmarks that officials are spinning—it’s a classic case of “smoke and mirrors”.
Lowering the Bar
Lowering the bar to hide failure erodes the rigor that our students desperately need. It is built on the faulty premise that struggle is bad, when the exact opposite is true. Struggle is a gift. If a child learns to embrace struggle under the gentle care of a great teacher, it is a beautiful thing. It is a skill that is transferable to many other things in life.
Paying for College Non-credit Remedial Classes
We've spent 18 months reviewing this only to decide that demanding excellence is too tough? State Superintendent Tony Sanders claims our old standards were "among the most rigorous," not aligning with college or career readiness. It is true that whatever it is that we were doing - did not align with college readiness. Many of our students graduate from high school only to find out that they would be paying for non-credit remedial classes to catch them up in order to even begin their official college program.
Fix Root Causes High Expectations Drive Growth
Our educational programming is what is not in alignment with national standards. We simply are not doing the right things. Our priorities seem to be social programming, not education. Unfortunately, our students are suffering because of it. Education can be a great equalizer, but only if it's grounded in truth and accountability. Lowering these standards sends a terrible message: "Good enough is now better." In my classroom, I've seen firsthand how high expectations drive growth. Kids will rise to a challenge!
This policy, though, lets under-performing districts off the hook without fixing root issues like ineffective curricula or the distractions of social engineering over core skills. Worse, it lies to parents. Parents deserve transparent data to hold schools accountable, not manipulated numbers that mask chronic problems. With proficiency rates artificially inflated, how can we expect anything but failure?
A Call to Action: Reclaim Rigor for Illinois Students
We can't let this stand, we must rally for a return to unapologetic standards that honor hard work and prepare our children to be future leaders, not participants in a participation-trophy world. I urge parents to attend school board meetings, contact legislators, and demand vertical alignment ensuring standards build year over year without these gimmicks. Let's advocate for school choice, phonics-based reading, and math that emphasize fundamentals over fads.
