2/3 Of Wisconsin 8'th Graders Don't Read proficiently

The ability to read proficiently is a fundamental skill that affects not just how well students do in school, but also their future wellbeing as adults.

Students who read proficiently are more likely to perform well in other subjects, such as math and science, whereas those who struggle with reading are much less likely to be academically engaged and therefore do poorly in school. Reading achievement also predicts the likelihood of graduating from high school and attending college. Adults with poor literacy skills find it difficult to function in society because many basic decision-making skills require reading proficiency. Strong reading skills also protect against unemployment in early adulthood. People who are not able to fill out an application because of limited reading or writing skills are likely to have difficulty finding a job or accessing social services. Research shows that performance on adult literacy tests helps explain differences in wages. Adults with limited reading abilities also are likely to have children with limited reading abilities. [Source]

The term “reading proficiency” refers to performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Assessments. The scores for reading proficiency range from 0 to 500 (with a standard deviation of 100) and are divided into 3 achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced.

Wisconsin’s public school teachers are among the thousands demonstrating in Wisconsin’s state capital against Governor Scott Walker’s plan to rein in public employee unions’ runaway health costs and other benefits. The teachers not only cancelled classes, they corraled their students to join the demonstrations.

But a report by the NAEP reveals that although Wisconsin’s spending on public schools had more than doubled in the past 10 years, that has not resulted in even one iota of improvement in the students’ reading skills. Worse still, some two-thirds of the state’s 8th graders read below “proficiency” level!

Only in America’s public sector are employees’ pay detached from their performance. If America’s public schools were a privately-owned business, it would have gone bankrupt years ago.

The arguments I'm seeing on left of center forums like this one

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Again, the voters in Wisconsin at least didn't see it that way.