Mr. Janey's New Exam

The fraction failing to pass the D.C. standards test should be measured in students, not schools.

THE RECENT Post article reporting that only 28 of the District's 146 public schools met academic benchmarks on a new city test in April was sobering news. The focus on school performance, however, may have obscured the story's more consequential finding: Takers of the new test were students, not the schools they attended. Students -- not their schools -- failed to achieve proficiency in reading, math and other subjects. And equally important, the adverse effects of those academic failures -- if not remedied in time -- will be felt directly by students themselves, not the buildings, classrooms or playgrounds where they spend time during the day.

We state what perhaps is obvious, for a purpose. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, students in so-called failing schools are allowed to transfer to higher-performing schools in their districts. With an overwhelming majority of District schools falling short of the standard, there are few "better" schools for students to attend. Put another way, the District's large numbers of poorly performing students swamp the number of available schools attended predominantly by proficient students.

At a community meeting to discuss the test results, Superintendent Clifford B. Janey went to the heart of what faces poorly performing students. Schools will not be the ones to suffer. "We see universities banning kids if they need remediation. We see businesses cutting back on the amount they spend on remediation," he said. Without the skills that come with a quality education, students will not become "gainfully employable . . . and able to finish college," Mr. Janey added. That, as it stands, is the stark future for thousands of District students unless parents and school and city leaders address the problem with the urgency it deserves.

True, Mr. Janey has introduced a test with strict standards. And yes, some administrators and teachers may feel they haven't had enough time to prepare for the changes. But the additional truth is that Mr. Janey is seeking a more accurate assessment of student performance so that he and his teachers will know how much they have to do to reverse a failing situation. Parents need to know the truth as well. And city leaders must stop giving lip service to the crisis in their midst. Without an investment of time and resources by families and educators to raise student performance to a higher standard, generations of District children will not make the grade as contributing and self-sustaining adults. Both they and the city -- not schools -- will be the losers.