The 2003 scores for NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress, pronounced "nape") have just been released. This exam is often referred to as a "national exam" or "the nation's report card" because it is the only exam taken by students in all 50 states. Scores are not disclosed at the individual student or school level, but scores are reported for the nation, for states, and for specific populations of students. The performance scales are created so that students in different areas can be compared to one another, and test takers can be compared within test sections across years. An overview of the exam may be found here.
Here's the official statement by the group that produces and scores NAEP, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB, pronounced "nag-bee"). Thanks to the 2003 results, NAGB is now optimistic about math performance; less so about reading:
Since the year 2000, the last time the NAEP mathematics assessment was given, the students at the bottom have made the greatest improvement. The largest gains have been achieved by fourth grade students in the lowest 10 percent or the lowest quarter of the test score distribution. The lower-scoring students in the 8th grade also have made substantial improvements.
In just three years, the proportion of black fourth graders reaching the Basic achievement level in mathematics rose from 36 to 54 percent nationwide. Among Hispanic students, whose number has increased enormously, the proportion reaching Basic in fourth grade math rose from 42 percent in 2000 to 62 percent in 2003.
The overall picture is encouraging because not only did the lower-scoring groups improve, but higher-scoring students made gains too, although at a somewhat slower rate.
Test takers in various ethnic groups are the "subgroup populations" to which I referred, above, and these results are indeed encouraging.
In reading, unfortunately, the situation is less clear. This year, 2003, is the first time that a subject has been tested by NAEP two years in a row. It is unrealistic to expect dramatic changes in one year—particularly for the large groups of students in a state or in the nation on which NAEP reports. And the 2003 reading assessment shows very little change from 2002.
It is important that the gains made in fourth grade reading from 1998 and 2000 to 2002 have been sustained. And here again the greatest improvements were made at the lower end of the test score distribution and among black and Hispanic students, whose performance historically has lagged.
The situation recently in 8th grade reading is less positive. Even though there was some gain in 8th grade reading achievement from 1992 to 1998, the overall performance has been essentially flat over the past five years.
As Joanne Jacobs notes, a student's math performance may be more affected by the school's curriculum, while reading performance may still be so dependent on the literary and cultural influences in a student's home that it's more difficult for schools to help them improve in that area.
For example, you can see all of the 2003 Reading scores for fourth-graders here. Note that it's good news for the Sunshine State - the increased emphasis on reading skills seems to be paying off for their fourth-graders. The percentage of Florida's fourth graders who are performing at or above proficient reading levels made a significant jump from 27 percent to 32 percent. No other state made a jump that high (Massachusetts, unfortunately, posted a significant decline, although that state's percentage of At or Above Proficient fourth-grade readers (40%, down from 47% last year) is still higher than in Florida.) Connecticut has the highest percentage of fourth-graders in this group (43%), while a dismal 10% of Washington DC youth meet this standard.
If you're interested in the mathematics performance, here are bar graphs showing each state's results for fourth grade and eighth grade. Connecticut, the high scorer on fourth-grade reading, also has the best numbers in both grades on math; 32% of all fourth-graders, and 34% of all eighth-graders, scored at or above the Proficient level.
If you live in Washington DC, though, be prepared to be depressed when you look at these math scores.
Some things to remember about NAEP:
* NAEP test takers are chosen to be representative samples of students in certain grades or at certain ages in public and nonpublic schools in the United States. Thus, not every student will take the NAEP.
* Federal law requires that all states receiving Title I funds must participate in NAEP reading and mathematics assessments at fourth and eighth grades. Similarly, school districts that receive Title I funds and are selected for the NAEP sample are also required to participate in NAEP reading and mathematics assessments at fourth and eighth grades. For everyone else, participation is voluntary, and identifying student information is never disclosed.
* Currently, NAEP reports data only on those samples for which accommodations for disabled test takers were allowed.
* If you're interested in other areas that NAEP assesses, they've got plenty of publications.
* Want newspaper articles about NAEP reports in other states? Here you go: Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
Posted by kswygert at November 14, 2003 01:46 PM