Kentucky student test scores up since 2002: in Reading and Math, in Elementary, Middle and High School

But the improvements aren't necessarily due to the

No Child Left Behind Act, researchers say.

Student achievement nationwide has increased since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, but that federal law is not necessarily the reason, according to researchers who looked at results from 50 states.

These gains fall well short of the law's goal of getting all students performing at grade level or better by 2014, said the report, released Tuesday by the Center on Education Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. (CEP Press Release here.)

"...[T]here is more evidence of achievement gaps between groups of students narrowing since 2002 than of gaps widening. Still, the magnitude of the gaps is often substantial," the researchers wrote.

...The researchers claim independence from partisans battling over No Child Left Behind, which is up for reauthorization by Congress this year. Their only expressed opinion is regarding the need for better, more consistent and more transparent data. Researchers declined to credit or criticize No Child Left Behind, noting that states and school districts also have been carrying out their own reforms.

...But a statement from federal Education Secretary Margaret Spellings praised the news. "Under President Bush's leadership … in five short years, we've seen encouraging results, especially in our elementary schools. Students are making remarkable gains in reading and math, and the achievement gap that once seemed intractable is now narrowing in many of our nation's schools." She added: "Now is the time to reauthorize" the law.

In an earlier interview, Spellings said the law had pushed many states to take meaningful measurement of student learning and compelled schools to address the achievement gap.

Even so, at this pace, thousands of schools will fall well short of the law's 2014 full proficiency target.

Critics say the law is underfunded, overly punitive and unrealistic in its goals.


This from the Los Angeles Times, and this from the New York Times.
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Biggest gains found in elementary math

Using the percentage of students reaching proficiency and effect sizes, the report finds that the biggest improvements since 2002 were seen in elementary level math, where 22 of 25 states with comparable data demonstrated moderate-to-large gains on both measures, and no state showed a moderate-to-large decline. When looking at only at the percentage of students scoring proficient, 37 of 41 states with trend data in elementary math showed moderate-to-large gains.

Reading performance has also increased since 2002, especially at the elementary level.
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In Kentucky

Only 13 states had sufficient pre- and post-NCLB data to make fair comparisons but that gorup included Kentucky.

From 1999 to 2006, post-NCLB gains exceed pre-NCLB gains on 11 of 12 comparisons.

...................preNCLB/postNCLB................preNCLB/postNCLB
Reading 4th.....% gain 1.3.... 2.7 .......effect size......0.03.....0.06
Reading 7th.....% gain 1.7.... 2.0 .......effect size......0.03.....0.05
Reading 10th...% gain 1.7.... 3.3 ......effect size......0.04..... 0.07
Math 5th .........% gain 2.7.... 5.3 ......effect size......0.08..... 0.11
Math 8th..........% gain 1.0... 2.0 ......effect size......0.05 ....0.06
Math 11th........% gain 1.7.... 2.0 ......effect size......0.06 ....0.04

In Elementary, Middle and High School Math and Reading, Kentucky showed moderate to large gains in the percentage of students reaching proficient which was confirmed by the effect size.
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The study is unique as it includes verified data from all 50 states – much of which is available for the first time in the report – and investigates achievement trends both before and after the passage of NCLB. The report also limits its analysis to testing data that is comparable from year-to-year, eliminating data in grades and subjects where states have made significant changes to their assessment systems.

The report also uses two methods for evaluating achievement, including the percentage of students considered proficient – the primary measure of adequate yearly progress under NCLB – and effect sizes, a measure based on average test scores that addresses some of the limitations of the percentage proficient measure. Using either method, the report finds that the number of states showing achievement gains since 2002 is far greater than the number showing a decline.

In addition, yearly gains are generally greater after 2002 in states where comparable data prior to 2002 was available. However, the report notes that the gains cannot be attributed directly to No Child Left Behind, as considerable federal, state and local reform efforts have all been underway prior to and since 2002.

“American educators and students were asked to raise academic achievement, and they have done so,” said Jack Jennings, president & CEO of the independent, private nonprofit Center on Education Policy. “The weight of evidence indicates that state test scores in reading and mathematics have increased overall since No Child Left Behind was enacted. However, there should be no rush to judgment as there may be many factors contributing to the increased achievement.”
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Why have percentage proficient gaps in both reading and math

narrowed more often than they have widened since 2002?

One possible explanation: A primary purpose of NCLB is to highlight and address differences in the achievement of student subgroups. The law has forced states, districts, and schools to disaggregate test scores by subgroup and report them to the public. This, in turn, has raised educators’ awareness of the need to better serve historically low-performing subgroups and increased pressure on educators to do so. According to CEP’s case studies of school district implementation of NCLB, disaggregation of data has also encouraged some districts to develop special programs or devote more resources to raising achievement for lower-performing subgroups (CEP, 2006).