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Referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, the NAEP test
are the only achievement tests given to students in every state. The tests
allow the only comparison among states. But they don't test every student,
just a representative sample.
Only information related to academic achievement and relevant
variables is collected. The privacy of individual students is protected,
and the identities of participating schools are not released. Whereas each
state also administers its own state tests in reading, math and sometimes
other subjects. The state tests can cover different skills than the national
exam and they generally are easier.
NAEP assessments have been conducted periodically in the
following subjects: Reading, mathematics, science, writing, history,
and geography. Tests on other subjects have also been given in past
years.
Writing Basics: Oregon Skips 2007 Test for 8th and
12th Graders
In early April of 2008, the federal government released
the scores of writing tests given to 8th and 12th grade students
nationwide last year. Students had to demonstrate narrative,
informative and persuasive writing skills on the test.
Washington state students performed well on the
national writing test easily beating the national average. Oregon is one
of the few states that did not take part in the test. State
officials say it wasn't required and wasn't going to give school
specific feedback, just a statewide score, so they decided to skip it.
I'm certain they will be criticized for this decision.
2007 Results
This year, the results were released in late September.
The good news came in math. The average math score for
fourth graders is at its highest level in 17 years, and the percentage of
fourth graders scoring at or above proficiency rose to 39 percent this year,
up eight points since the federal law took effect. The latest results also
show that eighth-grade students’ math performance has improved, although
not as quickly as among younger students.
The reading results were sobering. On average, reading scores for fourth
graders have increased modestly since the law took effect, but in about
a dozen states the percentage of students who read at the proficiency level
has stayed the same or fallen.
The NY Times reported that President Bush called
the results “outstanding,” adding, “These scores confirm that No Child Left
Behind is working.” But critics of the federal law, including an antitesting
group and a national teachers union, said many scores were rising faster
before the law’s enactment.
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