“DPI Changing the Scoreboard to Avoid Showing the Score”

Delafield, Wis. – IRG Action Fund’s Quinton Klabon will testify in front of the Assembly and Senate Committees on Education on the Department of Public Instruction’s recent changes to the report card rating system. 

WHY IT MATTERS: 

School report cards tell Wisconsin parents and taxpayers how their schools perform. DPI changed the standards this summer,  marking the fourth major change in five years. Preliminary results say 0% of districts “failed to meet expectations” in 2025 and 50% of schools rated 4 or 5 stars, up from previous years. Despite these high ratings, Wisconsin posts average scores on the national NAEP exam. Real problems are being hidden behind a wall of inflated stars.

HOW WE GOT HERE: 

  • 2020: No report cards.
  • 2021: DPI lowers standards in light of the pandemic.
  • 2024: DPI quietly changes standards again with confusing, inconsistent ratings.
  • 2025: DPI sets new standards, likely increasing the number of 4- and 5-star schools despite flat Forward and ACT performance. 

THE QUOTE: 

“As proficiency, attendance, and misbehavior continue to limp along post-pandemic, DPI’s new report cards say we have turned the corner. That is not true. DPI’s new ratings are meaningless by design, changing the scoreboard to avoid showing the score,” said Quinton Klabon, Senior Research Director for IRG Action Fund. “The Legislature deserves to know how we got here and why report cards must reflect the reality parents and educators see in classrooms.” 

WATCH THE HEARING: 

The hearing will be held at 10:00AM in the Wisconsin State Capitol and streamed live on Wisconsin Eye

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