Republican lawmakers are accusing state education officials of “dumbing down” reading exams to “inflate” test scores. Senate President Jeff Lamberti, a republican from Ankeny, says that’s one reason Department of Education director Ted Stilwill will be called in to testify before the Senate Education Committee next week. Lamberti says some republican lawmakers have serious concerns about the state of education in Iowa, and Stilwill should be called in to answer a few questions. Lamberti says reading tests have been “renormed” to try to show gains in the reading prowess of elementary kids. Lamberti says the status of reading tests “should concern everybody in Iowa.” But Stilwill says the reading standards used in Iowa schools have been in place since 1992 and haven’t been changed or “dumbed down.” Stilwill says he doesn’t know where Lamberti’s getting that idea, but Stilwill says he’ll be happy to appear next week before Senators to explain. Two-thirds of the Iowa Senate must vote to confirm Stilwill for the job he’s held since 1995 when republican Governor Terry Branstad appointed him Education director. Democrat Governor Tom Vilsack kept Stilwill on and the Senate has twice before voted to let Stilwill hold the top education post in state government.
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