So-called reformers say again and again that the U.S. education system is a failure and that academic performance is declining.
What they never tell you is that the test scores of American students are at their highest point in history, as recorded on the only longitudinal measure of performance, the federal test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Maybe the reformers don’t know that. You can educate them with facts.
In an earlier post, I reported the reading scores. The gains in reading have been slow, steady, and significant.
In mathematics, the gains have been large.
There are two different versions of NAEP.
One is called the long-term trend trend, and it reports the scores on tests that have been given from 1973 to 2008.
The long-term trend tests hardly ever change, so they provide a consistent yardstick over decades.
The other is called “main NAEP,” and it has been reported periodically since 1990 or 1992 (depending on the subject).
Unlike the long-term trend NAEP, main NAEP gets revised and updated, yet still has a consistent trend for academic performance over the past 20 years.
Main NAEP is now given every other year; the long-term trend NAEP is given every four years.
Here are the long-term trend data for mathematics. Remember, same test given every four years from 1973 to 2008:
White students: Age 9, up 25 points; age 13, 16 points; age 17, up 4 points.
Black students: Age 9, up 34 points; age 13, up 34 points; age 17, up 17 points.
Hispanic students: Age 9, up 32 points; age 13, up 29 points; age 17, up 16 points.
On the main NAEP, from 1990 to 2011, here are the data:
White students: fourth grade, up 49 points; eighth grade: up 23 points.
Black students: fourth grade, up 36 points; eighth grade, up 25 points.
Hispanic students: fourth grade, up 29 points; eighth grade, up 24 points.
Asian students: fourth grade, up 29 points; up 28 points.
Don’t let anyone tell you that American education is failing and declining. It’s not true.
Share this.
Source: “The Nation’s Report Card Mathematics 2011: National Assessment of Educational Progress,” U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.
“The Nation’s Report Card: NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, Reading 1971-2008; Mathematics 1973-2008,” U.S. Department of Education
Useful information but I’m still confused about NAEP – when, how and in which schools is it administered? Is it just a random sampling of students across different states? Are schools, students informed that they will be selected for testing? Thanks.
NAEP is given in all states to scientifically weighted samples of students. Students do not know in advance that they will be tested. Neither do their teachers.
The truth just confuses those out to destroy public education.
We must drive this data all the way to the White House and demand recognition.
Just an additional note, the age 17 scores are likely depressed since this is a low-stakes test for them and they are, after all, 17. Doing things just because they should and putting in a lot of effort is not really the top of the list of things to do for a 17 year old. How much that has changed over the past 30 years is an open question, but that is one of the reasons that the Main NAEP does not have a test for 17 year olds.
I share this only because the gains for 17 year olds is lower on the long term trend, and many might interpret that smaller gain as some problem with high schools. While I think there are many problems with high school, the validity of the measure is in question for 17 year olds, so I wouldn’t read too much into the difference in the changes over time. Overall, the trend is still upward and there is a lot of other data (SAT increases, more students taking AP and passing, etc.) that would suggest the gains for 17 year olds are as substantial as for the other age groups.
And the fact that 26 countries are outperforming the United States in Math is irrelevant? I don’t think we should celebrate that we haven’t increased rigor on our Math exams in 40 years.
That was true in 1964, when the first international math test was given. We came in 11th out of 12. And our economy for the next 50 years outperformed all of the others.
And what is your opinion on America’s international mathematics rank currently? We all know out economy is in danger and without innovation we will be edged out by China in a matter of years. Furthermore I am skeptical that the economy is a good proxy for mathematics achievement. We need I focus on math and science education to keep America a competitive nation economically and intellectually. I’m sure thinking everything is iust fine, as your post suggests, makes people feel warm and fuzzy but most educators agree our education system needs improvement, unless of course they’re trying to protect an antiquated system that isn’t willing to put in the work to innovate. As a teacher I have never been arrogant enough to think, we are all doing all right so don’t worry about it.
Interesting that the math scores for age 17 have basically remained flat for the entire 40-year period. That would suggest that gains made in the earlier age groups are getting wiped out in high school for some reason. I don’t know what that reason would be, but I don’t find “they didn’t take the test seriously because they’re 17” to be a satisfactory explanation.
You may not but the governing board of NAEP did. While I was a member, we discussed the problem of the 17 year olds lack of motivation to do well on a test that didn’t count. We heard research about incentives (a pizza party, cash, whatever), but no one could figure out how to make them care about a test where they would never get a grade and the score would never be reported to anyone.
Did this discussion ever make its way into any of the NAEP reports, or any other published documents?
Did the tests “count” for the younger age groups? How so? It’s not clear to me from the reports. Thanks.
NAEP tests have no stakes. No student takes the entire test. No individual or school gets a grade or even a report. It doesn’t “count.”
Fourth graders take it very seriously.
Eighth graders take it seriously.
17-year-olds don’t care, they know it doesn’t matter to them. They draw doodles on the test sheet or make patterns with their answers.
Our Board discussions of senior apathy were recorded in board meetings but not in a report.
Diane
So that explains why companies go overseas to find CNC operators, CAD designers, software coders, and Tool and Dye makers. Because our children are learning the math and engineering to keep those jobs here. Huh.
Wrong. They go overseas to find cheap labor, people who will work for $10,000 a year or less.
There are plenty of well-educated American workers who can’t get work.
Do you think American engineers should work for $10,000 a year?
Would you?
I’m confused what this article is trying to say. Are you saying the American education system is fine and we should just stop trying to fix it? I graduated with a PhD in chemistry from Rice University in 2010 and at least 70% of my class was not American, mostly but not only Chinese, Indian and Russian. As a postdoc that figure grew to about 95% with only 2 American postdocs in the entire department. I can’t even count the number of times I heard profs say that Americans just don’t know math. I find this trend alarming and saddening regardless of whether we have improved upon our own scores over the course of decades.
No, I am not saying all is well and we should stop improving. My point is that our current policies of beating up on teachers and offering merit pay will never produce high levels of learning. Our society offers far greater rewards than India and China to top students to go into the private sector, specifically into business. Why would anyone spend years getting a doctorate in math when they can go to Wall Street and make a million dollars a year? What are the rewards for having a doctorate in chemistry? Will you get a high-paying job? Do you think that merit pay and tying teachers’ careers to student test scores will produce more students eager to pursue a doctorate in science and math? Or more people willing to teach them in K-12?