This morning, Education Week (EdWeek) released its annual special report Quality Counts 2012, which included its annual State of the States report card. For the fourth year running, Maryland earned top honors with a B plus while the nation as a whole once again received a C. The report card shows that states have been taking steps to improve their standards, assessments, and accountability systems: 20 states improved their grades in this area since it was last reported in 2010. Mainly, the improvement was due to 19 earning perfect marks in the Standards subcategory. On the other hand, states remained stagnant in their teacher policies, where most states earned grades similar or lower than the ones they received in 2010.

Here are some of the key findings from this year’s report card:

Summative Grades

How did the nation as a whole and each individual state perform across all policy and performance areas?

• Overall, the nation received a grade of a C across all policy and performance areas, which remained the same as a year ago.
• Maryland earned the highest grade (B plus) for the fourth consecutive year, followed by New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia, who all earned a B.
• The vast majority of states (41) earned grades between a C minus and a C plus.
• No states received an F. South Dakota earned a D plus.

Chance for Success

What are the odds that the average child who grows up in a particular state will do as well as the average child in the top-ranked state, at each stage of his or her educational life? (these stages are: the early childhood years, participation and performance in formal education, and educational attainment and workforce outcomes during adulthood)

• Massachusetts ranked first for the fifth consecutive year by being the only state to receive an A, while once again New Hampshire and New Jersey each received an A minus. 
• This means that children in Massachusetts have the best chance of achieving positive life outcomes.
• On the other hand, children in Nevada, New Mexico, and Mississippi have the least chance of achieving positive life outcomes by earning a D and D pluses, respectively.
• The nation as a whole earned a C plus.

K-12 Achievement

How do states compare on the academic achievement of their students in elementary through high school?

• Overall, our nation’s schools improved from a D plus to a C minus in the academic preparation of school children.
• The grade is based on the academic status and growth over time in math and reading scores, narrowing of poverty-based achievement gaps, as well as high school graduation rates and the performance on the advanced placement test.
• Once again, Massachusetts received the highest grade with a B. Maryland and New Jersey scored slightly lower, but still earned B’s. 
• Louisiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia all received failing marks, just as they did a year ago.

Transition and Alignment

How do states compare on implementing various education policies to better coordinate the connections between K-12 schooling and other segments of the education pipeline, such as early-childhood education, college readiness, and links to the world of work?

• Arkansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia are leaders in ensuring students are ready to move up the education ladder, earning A’s for their policy work in this area.
• In contrast, six states earned D’s, while Nebraska earned an F, as it did last year.
• Although the nation as a whole earned just a C plus, 33 states have defined college readiness, which is an increase of 13 states since 2009. 

School Finance

How much do states spend on their schools? Is the spending distributed equitably?

• Although no state received an A, seven states received B minuses for adequately funding their schools.
• On the other hand, four states — Idaho, South Dakota, Nevada, and North Carolina –received grades of D or D minus. No state received a failing grade.
• As a whole, the nation received a C on funding education. However, on average, the nation spends more money on wealthier school districts than poorer districts nationwide.
• Just six states spent as much or more on their poorer districts as on their wealthier counterparts.