How can I assume that? The test asked them to define the word decipher, and 24 percent got it wrong. “You can’t believe how low ‘below basic’ is,” says Carol Jago, a former public-school teacher who ...

You might find the following question on a first-grade math test: "Fill in the box: 7+2 = [blank] + 6." What you wouldn't expect is for 25 percent of incoming freshmen at a highly ranked university to ...