Podcasts episode·Jun 9, 2026

How Should Parents Respond When Grades are Good, But Test Scores are Bad?

Tess Vigeland and Ariel Kalil
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When a child brings home good grades but low standardized test scores, which signal should parents pay attention to? In this episode, Ariel Kalil of the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy discusses new research showing that parents lean heavily on grades, and high grades often crowd out the extra help low test scores would otherwise prompt. With pandemic learning losses disguised by inflated grades, Kalil discusses how this dynamic may mean that struggling kids aren’t getting the support they need.

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