Wisconsin
Wisconsin Muddies The Picture On K-12 Student Achievement
Wisconsin State Sen. Jon Jagler is amongst a group of lawmakers seeking to reinstate previously high … [+]
Damning national testing results earlier this year should spark a clarion call in state capitals, emboldening leaders to come clean with parents and take meaningful action that improves student learning.
But Wisconsin is running the other way, by lowering its state standards and “cut scores”—the minimum score needed to pass an assessment. The moves make it far more difficult for a parent to determine whether their child is succeeding and truly learning enough to advance to the next grade.
Parents simply aren’t being told the truth.
Colleston Morgan Jr., executive director of the Milwaukee-based City Forward Collective, an education non-profit, shed light on the impact of the most recent standards revision.
“Analyzing educational data should be a straightforward process that allows for clear year-over-year performance comparisons—and most years it is,” Morgan told me in an interview. “But the most recent changes to the Wisconsin Academic Standards and state assessment have both lowered the bar for what we expect from our students and muddied the picture of student outcomes and school performance across years.”
Wisconsin’s 2023-24 state test results show public school students have a proficiency rate of 52% in 4th grade reading and 51% in 8th grade math.
But the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) paint a less promising picture with 4th grade reading at just 31% proficient and 8th grade math at 37%. That’s a 21-point difference in reading and a 14-point difference in math between the state test and NAEP.
In a press release, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) discussed how a public survey influenced its decision on standards and cut scores. It stated, “Wisconsin students noted a decrease in feeling like they belonged at school. Less than half (45 percent) of students who got a “C” letter grade and just 24 percent of students who got a “D/F” said they felt like they belonged at school, survey data indicated. The updated performance level terms improve feelings of encouragement and motivation for all students, including those scoring lower on tests than their peers.”
For Morgan, that’s not justification. “Of course, we want our students to feel encouraged and motivated,” he told me. “But that doesn’t mean we lie to them and tell them that they’re more prepared than they really are. We must believe in them and work to provide them and the entire education system with the supports and resources they need to meet the challenge—the challenge that every other student will face across the country, not just here in Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, appears to agree. “I think we need to have as high standards as possible. I don’t think we should be lowering them,” he told reporters at a news conference. “It’s hard to compare year-to-year if one year you’re doing something completely different. I think it could have been handled better.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said at a recent press conference, “I think we need to have as high … [+]
Help might be on the way for Wisconsin, where a group of state lawmakers has introduced a bill to reinstate Wisconsin’s previous high academic standards and cut scores.
In a statement to the Wisconsin Examiner, bill co-author, Republican Sen. John Jagler accused DPI of making the decision to change the way the state measures academic standards in a nontransparent way.
“These changes were made behind closed doors in advance and revealed only when the test scores were announced,” Jagler said. “Not surprisingly, the massive uptick in artificial performance gains was confusing at best and misleading at worst. We also lost, because of these changes, the ability to compare performance from previous years.”
The bill is still pending in the Wisconsin legislature.
To be clear, raising standards and cut scores alone doesn’t guarantee student achievement.
States need high quality curriculum, strong teacher professional development, and supports for struggling students.
But the truth matters.
Whether they plan to go to college, enter a career or join the military, Wisconsin students should be held to national and global standards. If their proficiency scores at home don’t match what’s expected beyond high school, we’re setting them up for failure.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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