Students Show Few Gains Since 'No Child'
washingtonpost.com
Students Show Few Gains Since 'No Child'
Math Up Slightly, Reading No Improvement
By Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 19, 2005; 11:57 AM
Despite a new federal educational testing law championed by the Bush administration, scores among fourth and eighth graders failed to show any improvements in reading, and showed only slow gains in math nationally during the past two years, according to a study released today.
Most troubling for educators are the sluggish reading skills among middle school students, which have remained flat for 13 years, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been testing students for three decades and bills itself as the "nation's report card."
"There is no rationale on eighth-grade reading other than we are not making progress," said Darvin M. Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the testing. Yet, he added, "I think educators and parents of elementary schools students should feel pretty good about this report. There is progress."
In a meeting at the White House with Education Secretary Margaret Spellings shortly after the report was released, President Bush called the results encouraging. "It shows there's an achievement gap in America that is closing; that minority students, particularly in fourth-grade math and fourth-grade reading are beginning to catch up with their Anglo counterparts. And that's positive, and that's important."
He also noted that "we've got work to do in eighth-grade reading" and called on Congress to fund programs for intense help to students who are lagging behind standards.
In fourth-grade math, more that 30 states -- including Virginia--and the District posted statistically significant scores. Maryland scores made a modest one-point gain. Seven states showed significant gains in eighth-grade math. Virginia and the District showed a small gain; Maryland remained the same as 2003.
Fourth-grade reading scores nationally showed a modest one-point gain over the past two years, after demonstrating a significant six-point jump between 2000 and 2002, before the No Child Left Behind law was implemented. Only three states showed a significant gain in fourth-grade reading -- and three states showed a significant drop. The District, Virginia and Maryland all posted gains.
The NAEP scores are the first tangible and respected testing numbers available since the implementation of No Child Left Behind -- the Bush administration's premier education initiative requiring states to test students annually as a prerequisite for receiving federal funds.
But experts and scholars caution against tying the scores directly to the controversial legislation, maintaining that various factors come into play that are beyond the control of the test. "Let's put it this way," said Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, "reading scores were flat and math scores on the rise before No Child Left Behind, and reading scores are flat and math scores are still up after No Child Left Behind. It's impossible to know whether NCLB had an impact -- either positively or negatively."
Loveless and other administrators point to the nation's changing school demographics, which show a doubling of the Hispanic student body, some of whom may be struggling with the English language.
"These students create enormous labors costs to the schools because they need additional attention and NCLB forces educators to deal with those kids," said Winick.
This report, which has been issued about every two years since 1992, presents reading and math trends for fourth and eighth graders, using a representative geographical, gender and race sample nationwide. This particular test -- known as the main assessment -- alters questions according to educational trends and only tests by grade. The NAEP also does a "long-term" educational assessment, which measures students' progress using virtually identical questions every year; this measure tests by age -- 9, 13 and 17.
The results of the long-term test, released in July, were consistent with this test.
Education Secretary Spellings said in a statement that the scores indicate the administration is on the right track "particularly with younger students who have benefited from the core principles of annual assessment. The results in fourth grade are particularly encouraging, and we are truly heartened by the continued narrowing of the achievement gap."
The scores also showed a continuing trend of the narrowing of the achievement gap between whites and minorities in every category except eighth-grade reading, where the gap between African Americans and whites remained constant.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/19/AR2005101900708.html
Students Show Few Gains Since 'No Child'
Math Up Slightly, Reading No Improvement
By Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 19, 2005; 11:57 AM
Despite a new federal educational testing law championed by the Bush administration, scores among fourth and eighth graders failed to show any improvements in reading, and showed only slow gains in math nationally during the past two years, according to a study released today.
Most troubling for educators are the sluggish reading skills among middle school students, which have remained flat for 13 years, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been testing students for three decades and bills itself as the "nation's report card."
"There is no rationale on eighth-grade reading other than we are not making progress," said Darvin M. Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the testing. Yet, he added, "I think educators and parents of elementary schools students should feel pretty good about this report. There is progress."
In a meeting at the White House with Education Secretary Margaret Spellings shortly after the report was released, President Bush called the results encouraging. "It shows there's an achievement gap in America that is closing; that minority students, particularly in fourth-grade math and fourth-grade reading are beginning to catch up with their Anglo counterparts. And that's positive, and that's important."
He also noted that "we've got work to do in eighth-grade reading" and called on Congress to fund programs for intense help to students who are lagging behind standards.
In fourth-grade math, more that 30 states -- including Virginia--and the District posted statistically significant scores. Maryland scores made a modest one-point gain. Seven states showed significant gains in eighth-grade math. Virginia and the District showed a small gain; Maryland remained the same as 2003.
Fourth-grade reading scores nationally showed a modest one-point gain over the past two years, after demonstrating a significant six-point jump between 2000 and 2002, before the No Child Left Behind law was implemented. Only three states showed a significant gain in fourth-grade reading -- and three states showed a significant drop. The District, Virginia and Maryland all posted gains.
The NAEP scores are the first tangible and respected testing numbers available since the implementation of No Child Left Behind -- the Bush administration's premier education initiative requiring states to test students annually as a prerequisite for receiving federal funds.
But experts and scholars caution against tying the scores directly to the controversial legislation, maintaining that various factors come into play that are beyond the control of the test. "Let's put it this way," said Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, "reading scores were flat and math scores on the rise before No Child Left Behind, and reading scores are flat and math scores are still up after No Child Left Behind. It's impossible to know whether NCLB had an impact -- either positively or negatively."
Loveless and other administrators point to the nation's changing school demographics, which show a doubling of the Hispanic student body, some of whom may be struggling with the English language.
"These students create enormous labors costs to the schools because they need additional attention and NCLB forces educators to deal with those kids," said Winick.
This report, which has been issued about every two years since 1992, presents reading and math trends for fourth and eighth graders, using a representative geographical, gender and race sample nationwide. This particular test -- known as the main assessment -- alters questions according to educational trends and only tests by grade. The NAEP also does a "long-term" educational assessment, which measures students' progress using virtually identical questions every year; this measure tests by age -- 9, 13 and 17.
The results of the long-term test, released in July, were consistent with this test.
Education Secretary Spellings said in a statement that the scores indicate the administration is on the right track "particularly with younger students who have benefited from the core principles of annual assessment. The results in fourth grade are particularly encouraging, and we are truly heartened by the continued narrowing of the achievement gap."
The scores also showed a continuing trend of the narrowing of the achievement gap between whites and minorities in every category except eighth-grade reading, where the gap between African Americans and whites remained constant.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/19/AR2005101900708.html
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