There’s a congratulatory article in today’s Inquirer detailing the ways in which a comprehensive high school has sought to increase graduation rates.

Great. Pat yourselves on the back. You’ve managed to have more children “pass” their classes.

But there’s no mention in the article of the content of these classes or whether or not students actually have a command of the content. While I’m certainly no advocate for standardized tests or attaching graduation to high-stakes exams, I think the press has a duty to question what’s happening in the classroom before writing such an article.

What’s the point of graduating kids who have proved that they can comply with requirements without assessing whether or not they’ve learned anything?