Is English Composition Still Taught in Grade Schools?

when I enrolled in a graduate course, some time ago, I was appalled at the writing ability of some of my peers and wondered why their writing skills lacked so much, after all they were graduate students. I now know why.

I have recently had an opportunity to read the responses of eight graders. I have been shocked by their lack of ability to construct a decent sentence. I have had to sit for a few minutes re-reading their sentences to figure out where one sentence began and where it ended. Once I got that far, I had to figure out the meaning of each statement because their thoughts appeared scrambled.

It appears that some of our children are not being taught how to construct effective sentences nor are they being taught proper grammar. Is it because some teachers have chosen to accept poor quality of work from their students? Could it be that some teachers don't have a good grasp of the English language themselves so they are in no capacity to correct their students? I say this because I have read letters from teachers and school faculty with incorrect grammar.

The problem has been presented, in a nut shell, from my vantage point. What's your response to this?