When 11th-graders take the new Smarter Balanced achievement tests next spring, 41 percent are expected to rank as proficient (level 3) in English/language arts, while 33 percent gain that rating for math. Only 11 percent are expected to get a level 4 rating, which exempts them from remedial work at many universities.

Those estimates were released last week after the so-called “cut scores” were approved in a three-stage process involving classroom teachers, principals and other educators. The estimates confirm worries that new higher standards are likely to show large percentages of students failing to meet grade-level expectations.

The real risk, though, is that those percentages will be viewed in a vacuum and lead to further resistance to the many benefits of the Common Core State Standards and related cross-state tests. Educators have a large and crucial task to educate the public to see the rankings in proper perspective.

Rather than looking primarily at the percentage of students who meet level 3 proficiency, some educators want a focus on “scale scores,” which range from 2,000 to 3,000 and can show progress and gaps. In a letter criticizing the use of cut scores, Vermont Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe wrote: “Instead of reporting in terms of performance categories, we could report performance in terms of scale scores. A solid body of empirical research suggests that scale scores provide more complete information on performance and are more useful for the purpose of informing improvement efforts.”

Indeed, it might be more useful for parents to know their child’s score compared with other students’ scores than against arbitrary pass levels. That’s especially true in the first years of these tests, when both the curriculum and tests are new.

We don’t agree, however, that the cut scores should be ignored. They need to be put in context so the dominant message doesn’t become that huge numbers of students have failed.

Raising education standards is painful, and no doubt adjustments will be needed along the path. Keeping perspective on what test scores do — and don’t — mean will be crucial to refining the process and keeping the public on board.