Good News: NAEP Scores Show Dramatic Gains by Students
When results from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released by the federal Education Department in October 2005, many responded with frustration and disappointment that education reforms had not achieved greater gains. However, these reactions miss the good news and positive progress contained within these test scores.
The perception that education spending and stringent accountability programs have not revolutionized public education has resulted in numerous articles and reports denouncing public education and decrying the state of learning in our schools. To correct this misinformation, several education experts have gone public with their acclaim for the great work public schools are doing, attempting to clarify the truth behind testing statistics.
“The Good News Behind Average NAEP Scores”
Released by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) as part of its “Test Talk” series, “The Good News Behind Average NAEP Scores” examines NAEP scores by racial and economic subgroup, a practice that has been institutionalized throughout education as the No Child Left Behind Act has codified the need for closing the achievement gap between white and minority students.
CEP found that the overall changes in average scores reported for each grade and subject were masking real progress amongst all subgroups. For example, between 1992 and 2005, the average score for fourth grade mathematics increased by a total of 18 points. However, the average score for Hispanic students actually increased by 24 points, and the average score for African-American students increased by 27. Scores for White and Asian students also increased by a greater number than the 18 point overall average. The reason for this, CEP explains, is that demographic shifts have increased the number of African-American and Hispanic students being tested under the NAEP. These sub-groups, which have traditionally scored below White and Asian student groups, continue to score at lower averages, even while making significant progress towards higher achievement and the elimination of the achievement gap.
CEP goes on to discuss 4th and 8th grade reading and 8th grade mathematics performances. These tests have been especially troubling to public school observers, as very little progress in the average score on these tests has been made over recent years. However, CEP states, these averages have actually remained at a constant level because minority and low-income student groups, who are making up a larger and larger percentage of the student population, are significantly increasing their average scores. As CEP writes,
These statistics suggest that public schools are succeeding more than they are being given credit for when test scores alone are reported without demographic data. Public schools are helping many thousands of low-income students and students of color do better academically.
Test Weaknesses
Other education experts have taken issue with the form and quality of the national tests. Michael T. Martin, a research analyst for the Arizona School Boards Association, has explained that student performance on these tests, rather than reflecting a student's subject knowledge, is in fact closely correlated with a student's socioeconomic status. For example, Martin questions whether a test item that refers to mowing lawns is an appropriate way to test urban and rural students' knowledge of mathematical concepts or reading comprehension. An article by writer Greg Palast, a writer for Harper's and a reporter for the BBC, expounds on this topic, documenting the strong class bias of many standardized tests. Palast notes that questions on tennis stars and country clubs in New York state's third grade exam are clearly and inherently easier for more affluent students, while likely to mystify many urban and rural students who may never have seen a tennis court.
Both these articles emphasize that the skewed performance of many students is not simply the result of insufficient preparation, but rather a reflection of an inherent bias in test questions that misses the hard work many teachers and students have done to teach and understand concepts in reading, math, and other subjects.
Accurate Information Needed
As demands for increased accountability and the misperception that public schools are failing continue to escalate, teachers, students, and education experts must be more vocal about the accuracy of the message the public is receiving about public education. Creating precise and fair tests, and developing an accurate understanding about the successes that many public schools have had in recent years, will go a long way to making continuing public school reform more effective and equitable.
Prepared by Nelly Ward, January 31, 2006 |
