Not-so-great expectations

Apparently state Sen. Earl Garrison (D-Muskogee) and several public school superintendents in his district want to allow seniors to graduate if they make a composite score of 14 on the ACT. Appalling, I realize, but should it really surprise us? After all, in Oklahoma a kid with a 14 can be not merely a high-school graduate but a high-school valedictorian.