The Wisconsin Assembly has approved along party lines a bill to overhaul DPI standards that Republicans argue mask poor student performance. The bill would reverse changes to state testing standards made under Superintendent Jill Underly. Republican state representative Jerry O’Connor of Fond du Lac says Underly lowered the standards, making it harder to gauge how students are doing. Underly says the changes actually provide a better picture of student achievement and were made through a transparent process with input from educators. The changes the Department of Public Instruction implemented included lowering the test score threshold for what is considered proficient and changing the terms used to describe student performance. The terms were changed from below basic, basic, proficient and advanced, to developing, approaching, meeting and advanced.
