Jill Underly, Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), is running for reelection in Spring 2025. DPI oversees and regulates public, private, and charter education in Wisconsin. The office holds significant power to enforce and shape education standards across the state. Underly is currently under fire for her decision to lower proficiency standards for Wisconsin’s Forward exam, which has received significant pushback from all sides of the aisle, including Governor Evers.

The changes, made without public hearings or input from legislators, parents, or educational experts, mark a significant departure from the more rigorous benchmarks aligned with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This move raises serious concerns about the transparency and priorities of DPI under Underly’s leadership.

For over a decade, Wisconsin’s proficiency standards adhered to NAEP’s benchmarks, ensuring students were held to high expectations. Underly’s unilateral decision to lower these standards has artificially inflated proficiency rates—39% of students tested proficient in reading last year, compared to 51% this year, while math scores saw a similar leap from 41% to 53%. Such drastic improvements in a single year would typically indicate extraordinary educational interventions, but here, they merely reflect diminished rigor.

Opponents of these changes argue that this decision undermines the purpose of standardized testing: to identify areas where students need support and hold schools accountable for addressing those gaps. By making it impossible to compare current scores with past data, DPI has obscured the reality of Wisconsin’s educational challenges, particularly the longstanding achievement gap between Black and white students. Instead of addressing these disparities, the lowered standards may mislead parents into believing their children are on track academically, depriving struggling students of the resources they urgently need.

Underly has defended the changes as a way to align Wisconsin’s standards with other states. However, this justification overlooks the critical role of state testing in diagnosing and addressing local educational deficiencies. High standards drive student success, as evidenced by public charter schools and private choice schools that consistently outperform traditional schools by maintaining rigorous expectations for all students. Lowering the bar sends a dangerous message: that “partial mastery” of basic skills is acceptable, even when it fails to prepare students for college or careers.

This decision also contradicts the policies of former State Superintendent and current Governor Tony Evers, who put the more rigorous standards in place. Underly’s approach, in contrast, prioritizes optics over outcomes, diminishing the value of the Forward exam as a tool for meaningful assessment.