Oh standardized tests. I thought you were talking about the quality of education, not teaching to the tests. That's easy to fudge. And still the students know less about US history, world history, mathematics, literature, etc. But dang it, they can pass a standardized test better than ever!!
Yeah, that's a measurement to go by
What do you know? Nothing. It is very hard to teach those things to children who cannot read. First things first.