The Nation - News from Nov. 27, 1987

Standardized achievement tests paint a deceptively rosy picture of how well elementary school children are progressing, said a new survey that found all 50 states reporting “above-average” scores. The study, conducted by Friends for Education Inc., a West Virginia watchdog group, said “no state is below average at elementary level on any of the six major nationally normed, commercially available tests.” The survey found that 82% of 3,503 school districts surveyed reported above-average scores. The report said the scores could indicate that teachers and school districts may be tailoring the curriculum to boost test scores.