By most measures, Iowa students are performing about the same as they were two years ago.
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In fact, they’re about the same as a decade ago.
These tests allow educators to compare educational knowledge of students nationally, because unlike state-specific tests, the National Assessment of Education Progress uses the same test questions and same proficiency scores in every state. The test is not aligned with Common Core standards and the results can not be compared to state assessment data, experts said.
National scores also were disappointing, especially in math. “The overall news from this round isn’t good”, said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
A dip in the state’s score from last year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress test reflects a national trend. The 2015 score in Maryland is 10 points higher than in 1992.
EIGHTH-GRADE READING: Scores fell from 274 in 2013 to 268 in 2015.
-For reading, scores were higher for fourth-graders in 13 states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia – up seven points.
Nationally, average NAEP scores were also lackluster, with average math scores declining slightly among fourth- and eighth-graders, and in eighth-grade reading.
Officials urged caution in interpreting the results. The biggest drops were in math, with average fourth-grade math scores at 242, down from 246, and average eighth-grade scores at 285, down from 289. In eighth grade, it dropped by 2 points to 282.
William Bushaw, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP, tried to discourage connecting this year’s test results and Common Core in a telephone call with reporters Tuesday. Tennessee eighth-graders were also 33 percent proficient, matching the national average for that grade. “We’d like to see multiple years or multiple occurrences before we express a concern”.
As part of an embargo agreement, The Des Moines Register agreed to not distribute the data for outside comment before publishing this story.
“What we’ve learned is that what Tennessee is doing is working, and our state’s rankings increased in three out of the four test areas”.
We’ll have more on the state and national results of the tests later today.
The new national and state results could be used by critics of the Common Core standards.
The results come five years after Tennessee legislators changed education policies to make the state eligible for federal Race to the Top funds.
He added that states might not have used Common Core in the same way. The national average is 221.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson said there could be multiple reasons for the eighth grade declines, including lack of resources for getting extra help to middle grade students and lack of math textbooks.
For example, in fourth grade, black students had an average reading score that’s 32 points lower than white students.
Those statistics are concerning, given a new third-grade retention law that takes effect in May 2017 that a few fear could disproportionately affect a few students. The level scores are something to build upon, she said. Even Cleveland saw increases, including a 7-point jump in fourth-grade reading.
What remains unclear is the impact of the law or how many students it will affect. Like many of Iowa’s education reforms, it is not fully implemented.
North Carolina is in its fourth year using Common Core, but the standards remain controversial. After a multi-year rollout, the standards were fully implemented in Iowa during the 2014-15 school year.
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According to the poll, about 56 percent of Iowans ages 18 and older said they had a positive view of the new standards, compared with 29 percent with a negative view and 15 percent who were not sure.
