Re: the article on low test scores in CMC schools. I asked a veteran teacher what she thought. She said in her district there is a no retention policy at the middle school so kids who fail classes (sometimes all of them for 2 years) are not held back. She added that expectations are also low in the HS. Finals were eliminated, passing dropped from 70 to 65, and the “college bound for all” resulted in lower standards so more kids would pass. She said teachers who try to "raise the bar" often face opposition from the building principals.