It's impossible to fail in Philly: It's too much paperwork

Failure is not an option at many Philadelphia schools, reports the Inquirer. It's not that every student is showing up, doing the work and learning. Teachers say principals don't let them fail failing students. It's easier to pass them on.

“On paper, Philadelphia students can fail courses, or be retained in a grade, so long as they are offered appropriate interventions and supports,” according to the Inquirer. “But many teachers said that they were discouraged or forbidden by their principals from flunking students, or that they have given out failing grades that were overridden." Other teachers said "the administrative burden to rationalize failure, even for students who did not show up to school, is onerous or impossible.”

Inflating grades, lowering graduation standards and eliminating standardized tests helps adults avoid accountability, writes Jason L. Riley in the Wall Street Journal.  Covering up failure doesn't help students. If they're passed along without doing the work, they are likely to fail in college and job training and face a lifetime of limited job prospects and earnings.

When unprepared students enroll in college, professors are under pressure to lower expectations and inflate their own grades. Colleges add remedial programs.

Yet many students drop out without earning a credential. It's too late for them to learn the skills, knowledge and work habits they need to succeed in college -- or to learn a skilled trade.

"Standardized testing is one of the few ways to measure which policies are working and which ones aren’t," Riley concludes. "The educators and policy wonks who want to do away with these assessments aren’t looking out for children. They are looking out for themselves."