Inflated grades fool parents and students into thinking they're doing well.

Can the University of California be "excellent" while admitting students who struggle with math?

Graduation standards are weak. The state graduation exam is gone. SAT and ACT tests are optional. New Jersey's flagship university is adding low-level math classes.

New York is headed for disaster: Fuzzy graduation standards -- with no tests -- will set students up to fail.

College seems to pay for not-very-prepared students, even though many won't complete a degree.

It's "cruel" to admit students to colleges where they're likely to fail, says UC professor.

Failure rates are up for new students at New York's state universities and community colleges. Fewer students start with the basics -- or study skills.

Careers are built on a solid academic foundation. "Passenger" students don't have that.

Test-blind college admissions has failed at the University of California. The Regents should restore SAT/ACT scores.

Failing a student is nearly impossible, say Philadelphia teachers. Principals discourage or ban F's and change grades.

Free tuition at community college isn't helping students succeed. Poor academic preparation -- not cost -- is the greatest barrier to upward mobility.

Diego's A's got him into test-blind Berkeley, where he's likely to fail Calculus and give up on an engineering major.

Going "test-blind" was a "failed experiment" say University of California's humanities and social sciences professors, joining STEM faculty.

Refusing to measure college readiness ensures the reckoning will come later, at the student's expense.

Most college students can't read at the college level, says instructor.

Students who are passed along with wobbly math skills will pay the price in college.

Gen Z charter graduates have more education and earn a lot more than graduates of traditional public schools.

STEM professors are seeing huge readiness gaps since the University of California went "test-free" in admissions.

How low can college-readiness expectations go?

More students are completing high school, but fewer are prepared to learn a skilled trade or pass a college math class.