The results of the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as "the nation’s report card," show that 8th graders' average score in math rose 1 point since 2011, and 3 points in reading on NAEP’s 500-point scale. Fourth graders gained 1 point in math. Nebraska results mirror the U.S.
Although Nebraska saw slight (1-3 point) gains in 4th and 8th grade math scores on the NAEP, achievement gaps (black-white, Hispanic-white, free/reduced lunch-not, special ed-not) all remain high and mostly remained the same or grew. For 4th grade math, only three states has larger black-white achievement gaps than Nebraska, and only five states had larger Hispanic-white achievement gaps. At the 8th grade, only one state has a worse black-white achievement gap, and only 11 have a worse Hispanic-white achievement gap. Although Nebraska scores are at or slightly above (not in a statistically significant way) the national average, all of our subgroup scores (by ethnicity) are below the national averages for those subgroups.
Nebraska should use the NAEP scores as part of a wake-up call: we are not currently doing a good job as a state to close achievement gaps. We know from other studies that achievement gaps along racial and poverty lines are present when students begin kindergarten, and continue to grow throughout school until those at the bottom drop out. Nebraska needs to be much more proactive at the K-12 level in addressing the unacceptably large achievement gaps present among our students. While this is a systemic problem, we believe one promising way to make progress is to increase Nebraska teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, through coherent, longitudinal, high-quality professional development.
For more information about NAEP scores, visit the NAEP website:
Overall national data:
http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013/#/gains-percentiles
http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013/#/gains-by-group
http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013/#/achievement-gaps
Specific Nebraska data:
http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2013/#/comparison-graphs?st0=NE
The following was written by Catherine Gewertz, Education Week:
The reading and mathematics achievement of the country’s 8th grade students improved in the last two years, but the performance of 4th graders remains stubbornly mixed, with progress in math, but not in reading, according to national test data released Thursday, Nov. 7.
The results of the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as "the nation's report card," show that 8th graders’ average score in math rose 1 point since 2011, the last time the test was given, and 3 points in reading on NAEP's 500-point scale. Fourth graders gained 1 point in math; there was no statistically significant gain in reading.
Read More:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/11/07/12naep.h33.html?tkn=PVCCvFALhPZZQll9YSN3ghD6Ij%2BadXMLLZOs&cmp=clp-sb-ascd