The EDifierAugust 26, 2010 I have been looking over the results from the 2010 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll that were released yesterday, and there were some trends I found quite intriguing. For example, although the public is not sold on No Child Left Behind (NCLB), with nearly half having an unfavorable view of NCLB, the reason why is unclear. Maybe they have read that NCLB is ruining education as we know it by making schools into test prep factories. Or maybe they were reading others’ opinions that NCLB was designed so the public would lose faith in its public schools.
However, the answers to some of the poll’s questions provide a different picture. First off, no, the public has not lost faith in our public schools. As a matter of fact, parents have actually given their children’s schools higher grades for the first time since 2000, two years before NCLB was signed into law. In 2000, 70 percent of parents gave the school their oldest child attended an A or B, while in 2010 that jumped to 77 percent. So it does not appear that parents are losing faith in their public schools. Furthermore, the poll also shows that parents don’t believe their students are just becoming test-takers at the expense of actually learning. As a matter of fact, more parents in 2010 (63 percent) believe their schools have “caused their child to become eager learners” than parents in 1998 (50 percent). So it doesn’t appear that NCLB is making our students into test-taking robots either.
This isn’t a defense of NCLB. The legislation has a lot of shortcomings that need to be addressed, and soon. But while discussions take place on what changes should be made, we need to know exactly what the problems are. The hyperbole that NCLB has ruined public schools is overstated, and so is the rhetoric that NCLB needs no alteration.
While policymakers are figuring out how to change the law, let’s hope they use data to inform their decisions and not assumptions based on anecdotes. Without basing changes on facts, they will just wind up leaving more students behind. – Jim Hull
August 19, 2010 More high school students continue to take the ACT college entrance exam, according to the newly released ACT High School Profile Report: The graduating class of 2010. There was a particularly large increase in number of minority students in the Class of 2010 taking the ACT. However, these increases likely led to the slight decline in scores over the past five years. Yet, there has been a significant increase in the number of students completing a college preparatory curriculum over the past several years, which has led to more students graduating high school “college ready.”
The findings
College Readiness
- The percent of students who scored at or above the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math (43 percent) and science (29 percent) increased one percentage point from 2009 to 2010. Fewer students than last year were college ready in English (66 percent) and Reading (52 percent).
- ACT believes those who achieved these benchmarks are ready to succeed in first-year, credit-bearing college courses in the specific subjects ACT tests.
- The percent of test-takers scoring at the College Readiness Benchmarks in all four subjects increased from by one percentage point from 2009 (23 percent) to 2010 (24 percent) and was three percentage points higher than in 2006 (21 percent).
Core Course Rigor
- Seventy-one percent of ACT test takers completed the recommended “core” college-preparatory curriculum, which is a 73 percent increase from 2006.
- Nearly twice (29 percent to 13 percent) as many “core” students met the benchmarks in all four subjects as “non-core” students in 2010.
- In math, only 12 percent of students who took Algebra I and II and geometry met the math college readiness benchmark, compared to 72 percent of students who took courses through calculus.
Scores
- The nation’s graduating Class of 2010 had an average composite score of 21.0 on the ACT, which was slightly lower than 2009 (21.1) and 2006 (21.1).
- Scores declined by one-tenth of point on the English (20.5) and reading (21.3) tests between 2006 and 2010, while scores on the science (20.9) test remained the same. Math (21.0) scores in 2010 were two-tenths higher than in 2006 but the same as 2009.
- Scores by ethnic/racial groups were mixed.
- The average Hispanic student score was 18.6 in 2010, which was one-tenth of a point below the 2009 score but the same score as 2006.
- The average Black student score was 16.9 in 2010, which was unchanged from 2009 but two-tenths of a point lower than in 2006.
- The average White student score was 22.3 in 2010 which was one-tenth of a point higher than the 2009 score and three-tenths higher than in 2006.
Test Takers
- The number of ACT test-takers jumped 6 percent from 2009 to 2010 to 1.57 million students. The ACT has seen a 30 percent increase of test takers just since 2006.
- More minority students are taking the ACT. The number of African-American test-takers increased 54 percent since 2006, while the increase was even larger for Hispanic students during the same time period at 84 percent.
- Both groups also make up a large share of all test takers as well. Black participation increased from 12 percent to 14 percent of all test-takers between 2006 and 2010, while Hispanic participation increased from 7 percent to 10 percent of all test-takers.
So, overall high schools are doing a better job of preparing students to succeed in college even as a larger and more diverse student population expects to go to college. – Jim Hull
For more information on how to use ACT scores to evaluate your school, check out the Center’s Good Measures for Good Schools.
June 3, 2010 With high school seniors around the country counting down the days until they receive their diplomas, the U.S. Department of Education has released a report on how many students earned a diploma in 2007-08. According to the report, just under 75 percent of students graduated on time in 2008, which is up from 74 percent in 2007.
However, the rate varies greatly from state to state, ranging from 51 percent in Nevada to nearly 90 percent in Wisconsin. Furthermore, large gaps exist between groups of students, with 91 percent of Asian and 81 percent students graduating on time, while just 64 percent of Hispanic and 62 percent of Black students graduated on time.
Remember whenever reading about graduation rates that the inverse of the graduation rate is not the dropout rate. For example, the estimated national graduation rate is 75 percent, but this does not necessarily mean that 25 percent of students dropped out (as we discuss in our Calculating high school graduation rates report). This is because students who only earn a standard high school diploma within 4 years of entering high school are counting in most graduation rates.
So students who earn a certificate of completion, a special education degree, or a GED are not included. Nor are students who take more than 4 years to graduate high school, which, according to our Better late than never report, represents nearly 5 percent of high school graduates. So including late graduates could boost the national graduation rate to 80 percent.
Increasing the national graduation rate 5 percentage points doesn’t sound huge, but it represents over 200,000 students in 2008 alone. And when looking at individual schools, including late graduates could significantly increase their graduation rates, especially for those schools who excel at getting likely dropouts to persevere and graduate.
So next time you hear about the graduation rate in your state or your district, take a moment to look if it includes those students who needed more than 4 years to graduate. It can really change the way you evaluate your local schools. Because isn’t it more important that a student earns a diploma, no matter how long it takes, than for a student to drop out of high school altogether? We answered that question. The answer is a resounding YES! – Jim Hull
May 20, 2010 Earlier today the results of the 2009 NAEP 4th and 8th grade reading assessment were released for 18 large urban districts from across the country. Although results were somewhat positive, they are not nearly as positive as the math scores released back in December.
Since 2007, eleven districts have participated in the NAEP district level pilot, called Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). Of those eleven districts, four have increased their scores at the 4th grade level and just two were able to do so at the 8th grade level. In 2009, eighteen districts participated in TUDA and just two districts scored similarly to the national average on the 8th grade assessment.
Although most urban districts are making progress in math, such gains are not the norm when it comes to reading. Most urban districts are not making much progress at improving their students’ reading achievement. However, the data clearly shows gains can be made. Since 2002, Atlanta has made huge gains in its reading achievement, increasing scores by 14 points at both the 4th and 8th grade levels — nearly a year and a half worth of learning! During this same time period, Washington, D.C. and New York were able to increase their 4th grade reading scores by 13 and 11 points respectively — again, more than a year’s worth of learning. So even though most urban districts have made little progress in reading, there are examples that it can be done.
A summary of the results below:
Fourth Grade
- Washington, D.C. (6 points), Boston (5 points), Houston (6 points) and New York City (4 points) increased their scores from 2007 to 2009. During this same time period, scores for the nation remained flat.
- Just as in math, Charlotte (NC) was the only urban district to score higher than the overall national average. Austin, New York City, Jefferson County (KY) and Miami-Dade scores were not significantly different from the national average.
- Six of the eighteen urban districts did score higher than the national average for students attending schools in large cities (cities of populations of 250,000 or more).
- The percent of students scoring at or above proficient varied dramatically among urban districts, from 36 percent in Charlotte to just 5 percent in Detroit. Nationally, 31 percent of students scored proficient or above on NAEP.
Eighth Grade
- Atlanta (5 points) and Los Angeles (3 points) were the only two districts to significantly increase their scores from 2007 to 2009. During this same time period, students nationally increased their scores by 1 point.
- From 2002 to 2009, two out of five districts made significant gains in their performance: Atlanta (14 points) and Los Angeles (7 points).
- No district outscored the nation as a whole, but Austin and Miami-Dade didn’t score significantly different from the national average.
- Five urban districts did score higher than the national average for students attending schools in large cities.
- The percent of students scoring at or above proficient varied just as it did at the fourth grade level. Austin had the highest percentage at 30 percent, while Detroit once again had the lowest at just 7 percent.
–Jim Hull
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|
Change in NAEP Scale Scores
|
|
Grade 4
|
Grade 8
|
| Since 2002 |
Since 2007 |
Since 2002 |
Since 2007 |
| National |
3*
|
0
|
0
|
1*
|
| Large City |
8*
|
2
|
2
|
2*
|
| Atlanta |
14*
|
2
|
14*
|
5*
|
| Austin |
-
|
3
|
-
|
4
|
| Boston |
-
|
5*
|
-
|
4
|
| Charlotte |
-
|
2
|
-
|
0
|
| Chicago |
9*
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
| Cleveland |
-
|
-4
|
-
|
-4
|
| District o f Columbia |
13*
|
6*
|
0
|
0
|
| Houston |
5
|
6*
|
4
|
0
|
| Los Angeles |
6*
|
2
|
7*
|
3*
|
| New York City |
11*
|
4*
|
-
|
3
|
| San Diego |
-
|
3
|
-
|
4
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| * Indicates scores are significantly different from the 2009 scores, meaning difference in scores between years likely didn’t happen by chance. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| - Indicates the district didn’t participate in the previous assessment. |
March 29, 2010 This week, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading for 4th and 8th graders. The reading assessment focused on understanding written text, developing and interpreting meaning, and using meaning as appropriate to the text and situation.
Results are provided for the nation as a whole and state by state (including Washington, DC and Department of Defense schools). As in other NAEP assessments, results are given in scale scores (0-500) and achievement levels (Basic, Proficient and Advanced) Scores are given for overall student performance as well as by racial, gender, and income groups.
Overall, there was no change from the 2007 scores at the 4th grade level, but scores did increase at the 8th grade level for lower and middle-performing students (those at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles). However, achievement at both levels has risen since 1992, from 217 to 221 at the 4th grade level, and from 260 to 264 at the 8th grade level.
The findings
Fourth Grade State Level
- At the state level, scores increased from 2007 to 2009 in three states (Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C.).
- Four states saw decreases in their scores (Alaska, Iowa, Wyoming, and New Mexico).
- Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, and New Hampshire were the highest performing states, while Washington, D.C., Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arizona were the lowest performing.
Fourth Grade National Level
- Nationally, scores did not increase between 2007 and 2009.
- However, since the first year of NAEP reading in 1992, student achievement in reading has increased by nearly four points, or by about half a grade.
- Since 2007, achievement gaps have remained unchanged.
- The 26-point Black/white achievement gaps was not significantly different from the 2007 gap, but it was narrower than in all other assessment years. The white/Hispanic achievement gap remained basically unchanged.
Eighth Grade State Level
- At the eighth grade level nine states improved their scores from 2007 to 2009 (Kentucky, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah, and New Mexico) while no state had a decline in scores.
- The highest-performing states were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Department of Defense schools. Washington, D.C., Mississippi, Louisiana, Nevada, and California had the lowest scores.
Eighth Grade National Level
- Nationally, scores increased one point from 2007 to 2009. However, low- and middle-performing students’ scores increased more than high-performing students’.
- Scores were higher in 2009 than in 1992 for White, Black and Hispanic students. Since all three racial/ethnic groups have made progress, neither the white/black nor the white/Hispanic gap was significantly different from the gaps in either 2007 or 1992.
For more information on what NAEP achievement levels actually mean check out The Proficiency Debate: A Guide to NAEP Achievement Levels. And to learn more about what works in helping students to read and comprehend check out the Center’s From Beginning to Stellar and Still Learning reports.
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