If you’ve been following education in this country lately, you’ll know new test results have come out of New York based on the Common Core State Standards, and apparently, they are atrocious. While the messaging on what it means has been mixed, with State Education Commissioner John King Jr. calling it a “new baseline” and TFA’s Wendy Kopp calling it a “wakup call,” I would note this bit from Valerie Strauss in The Answer Sheet:

One reason for why so many of the students failed – “nearly 70 percent of elementary and middle-school students” statewide – was because teachers weren’t prepared to teach students what students needed to know to pass the tests. According to an article in Education Week, a new report issued just before the New York state results were revealed found that nationwide, “Many teachers in states that have adopted the common standards have not had any professional development to help them adjust to the new expectations.”

Yeah, if you haven’t learned the material you’re being tested on, you’re not going to do well.