Report Cards Are Sending Parents the Wrong Signals.

The article focuses on the growing discrepancy between U.S. students' report card grades and their standardized test scores, highlighting widespread grade inflation and alternative grading practices in K-12 education. Despite declining test performance, most parents perceive their children as high achievers based on report cards, which often do not align with standardized assessments. This misalignment can delay parental intervention and academic support, particularly affecting low-income students who may lack resources to address learning gaps. The article advocates for greater transparency by integrating standardized test results into report cards and improving communication between schools and families to better reflect students’ true academic progress. [Extracted from the article]