<p>I raised the “does state variation create fairness or unfairness” question, but I did not offer an opinion. Part of my reason was that I still do no know what I conclude re it. But I do know there are huge disparities in state-by-state funding and access to educational opportunities. Recently released US Dept of Ed data shows that UT is by far the lowest funded K-12 education system, measured on a per pupil per year basis. You would have ADD about $1200 per pupil for us to catch Mississippi. Some eastern states spend 2.5-3x more per pupil than UT.</p>
<p>So I guess it is not unexpected–perhaps fair–that the 99.5% threshold is therefore lower.</p>