Here's A Shock

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In Mississippi, 89 percent of fourth-graders who took a state reading test were rated proficient or better. But when the same students took a federal test, only 18 percent reached that standard.

Such discrepancies are not uncommon. Students from all over the country performed worse on a tough federal test than they did on state exams in reading and math -- raising questions about whether states are setting lower standards.

State testing is a waste of time. Everyone cheats. I'd just require all graduating seniors to take the ACT and SAT and then determine how poorly they've been educated. But that's not really necessary. Everyone knows which schools do a bad job and which ones are ok.