Massachusetts, South Carolina and Missouri have set world-class standards in reading and math for their students, concludes a study by Paul Peterson and Frederick Hess, both Education Next editors. The other 47 states ask a lot less, allowing them to label many more students “proficient.” Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee expect the least of students.
Twenty-five percent of South Carolina eighth graders in South Carolina reach proficiency on the state exam; the same percentage test as proficient on NAEP. By contrast, 88 percent of Georgia eighth graders are proficient on the state exam, just 26 percent are proficient on NAEP.
According to our calculations, Georgia 8th-grade reading standards are 4.0 standard deviations below those in South Carolina, an extraordinarily large difference. Thus, while students in Georgia and South Carolina perform at similar levels on the NAEP, the casual observer would be misled by Georgia’s reporting that its students achieve proficiency at three times the rate that South Carolina’s students do.
Fourth-grade standards have held steady, but eighth-grade standards are slipping, the study found.
Recent Comments