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September 26, 2007

English, math scores for high school juniors stay flat

For the third consecutive year, results from English and math tests administered to high school juniors statewide in March remain flat, a frustrating outcome as the state pursues aggressive reform of secondary education and has targeted several areas -- including math and literacy -- for improvement.

Statewide, 53.3 percent of eleventh graders scored proficient or better on the English portion of the test, and 43.3 percent scored proficient or better in math – roughly the same percentages as 2006 and 2005.

According to the federal education reform law, No Child Left Behind, which requires yearly testing of students in grades 3-8 and one high school year, the goal is to have all students performing at a proficient level by 2014.

State education officials cited several potential reasons for the stagnant scores -- including the fact that juniors have continued to take an eight-year-old test that is not aligned to what students are now learning in the classroom. But they also acknowledged that progress is urgently needed.

“We don’t have any time to waste,” said Peter McWalters, state commissioner of education. “If we really want rapid change, we have to work with teachers to make sure they understand what they need to do. We need to provide them with sample lessons and make sure our grade span expectations are lined up with all subjects -- English, social studies, science and math.”

Scores in the urban districts (Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket) trail the statewide average but showed improvement, with 37.1 percent proficient in English (up 0.3 points) and 24.9 percent proficient in mathematics (up 1.4 points).

Complete results will be available tomorrow on the state Education Department's Web site and on projo.com.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

In a national test for fourth and eighth graders, Rhode Island students are making progress in math, but not in reading. State education officials say they are particularly concerned that students lost ground in eighth grade reading scores, which dropped two points since the tests were last administered, in 2005.

The results, commonly referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, were released yesterday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). As in past years, Rhode Island’s scores trailed the five other New England states. The state also lags the national average in all categories. The national group, which conducts research for the U.S. Department of Education, does not rank states but places states into one of three tiers. Rhode Island again placed in the middle tier on all four tests.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:01 PM | Permalink

September 26, 2007

English, math scores for high school juniors stay flat

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