Teachers use rubrics to ensure consistency and clarity in grading student assignments by carefully detailing what a successful project looks like. But the seeming simplicity of these assessment tools ...

Re “Hope for American Schooling, From Three Red States,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Feb. 15): Mr. Kristof is right that the literacy gains in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana deserve attention.

Shareeda Jones thought her daughter, Cristyonna, was doing well in third grade, getting mostly As and Bs at her elementary school in northeast Washington, DC. “I thought the child was on Honor Roll,” ...