Exit Exam Flimflam

Do these deficiencies matter? It is not a coincidence that students who attend the 45 inadequate schools (and will have attended such schools for their entire education) fail the test at roughly three times the rate of students attending schools that experience none of the problems.

The recent settlement of the Williams suit promises to address many of these problems. The settlement sets standards for teachers, facilities and learning materials; earmarks new state money so that schools can live up to these standards; and creates ways for community members to learn about school conditions and file complaints when problems arise.

But these needed reforms cannot immediately undo the years of substandard education faced by the class of 2006. The exit exam shifts the blame for education-policy failures onto the shoulders of students who have had the fewest opportunities to benefit from good schooling, and it calls that transfer "accountability." Denied diplomas will not make up for denied opportunities.