BBA Calls for Expansion of NAEP

The Accountability Committee of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education campaign has released its report with recommendations for the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The new BBA report recommends that ESEA expand the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test given to a representative sample of the nation's students, to cover a broad range of subjects, not only math and reading, to counteract the narrowing of the curriculum spurred in recent years by NCLB. And the report further recommends that ESEA permit states flexibility in designing their accountability systems, provided these systems include qualitative evaluation of school quality and do not rely primarily on standardized test scores to judge the success of schools. At its meeting in February, 2009, the BBA Accountability Committee enunciated the principles it would incorporate into its report.

Here is a video summary of that meeting.

Older students less successful on math NAEP

This from Ed Week by way of KSBA:

The proportion of 13-year-olds taking algebra has grown steadily for at least two decades, but the increase in the number of students taking harder mathematics classes is not translating into higher average math scores by 17-year-olds on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, according to long-term trend data released today.

Average scores for 9- and 13-year-olds in math on NAEP have risen since 2004, but scores in that subject for 17-year-olds have not budged significantly since then.

In fact, flat scores in math for the older students have persisted since the early 1970s. That’s despite the fact that the proportion of 13-year-olds taking algebra has more than doubled—from 13 percent to 30 percent—from 1986 to 2008.

Meanwhile, reading scores increased for 17-year-olds since 2004.

“If you ask me, what is the single most perplexing problem since I’ve gotten involved in education, that’s it,” Darvin M. Winick, the chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP, said in a telephone interview. “The data is not only flat, but it is flat while the kids are taking more math.” ...

The story is slightly different for reading.

Reading scores increased 3 points, to 286, for 17-year-olds from 2004 to 2008, which is considered statistically significant. That differs from the math trend for 17-year-olds, in which the change in scores during that period is not considered significant. But, as is true with math, the reading scores for 17-year-olds in 2008 were not considered significantly higher than those in the early 1970s.

In both reading and math, average scores climbed a significant amount (by at least 2 points) for 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds. They increased 4 points, to 220, for 9-year-olds in reading and 4 points, to 243, in math. For 13-year-olds, scores increased 3 points, to 260, in reading and 3 points, to 281, in math...

Kentucky Makes Progress, Faces Challenges on Education Goals

Kentucky is among the nation's leaders in raising students' reading achievement in the early grades, but it needs to work harder to raise college graduation rates and other measures of education progress, a new Southern Regional Education Board report shows.

The in-depth report, released by SREB at its Annual Meeting here today, outlines the state's progress on the SREB Challenge to Lead Goals for Education. The goals were approved by a commission of the region's leaders in 2002 and call for major improvements in K-12 student performance, college readiness and other key areas of education in Kentucky and 15 other SREB member states.

"Kentucky is making solid progress in education, but just as in every state, much work remains to be done," said SREB President Dave Spence on the report's release.

Among many findings of the report:

Although Kentucky's high school graduates enroll in college at a higher rate than other U.S. graduates, only 47 percent of students who enter the state's four-year public colleges and universities graduate within six years - below the national average of 55 percent. As college costs climb, many students in Kentucky are having trouble paying for college, even after federal financial aid.

The proportion of children from low-income households is increasing in Kentucky, but their academic achievement also is increasing in some subjects. More than half of the region's fourth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the Basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2007 - outperforming their peers in the nation. In Kentucky, 57 percent of fourth-graders from low-income families scored at that level in reading, up since 2003 and above the national percentage. "These results are remarkable," Spence said.

Most SREB states are requiring more high school students to take higher-level courses to better prepare them for college and career training and the job market. More states are requiring geometry and Algebra II for graduation. Beginning with the Class of 2012, Kentucky will require both courses for all students seeking a standard diploma.

 Kentucky’s public school enrollment increased from 1996 to 2006, and it is expected to increase from 2006 to 2016. About 685,000 students were enrolled in public schools in Kentucky in 2006.

 In 2006, Kentucky’s poverty rate among children was higher than the U.S. rate and the same as the rate for SREB median states.

 In 1990, 41 percent of children in Kentucky lived in low-income households. By 2006, the
percentage had climbed to 57 percent.

 The changes in the composition of the Class of 2021 in Kentucky will parallel those in the nation. Black and white students are expected to decline as proportions, and Hispanic students will grow as a proportion.

 Fall 2006 enrollment in Kentucky’s publicly funded pre-K programs (state-funded and Head
Start) was an estimated 174 percent of 4-year-olds living in poverty, the same percent as in fall
2004.

 In 2008, the National Institute for Early Education Research reported that Kentucky met eight of the 10 standards of quality for prekindergarten.

 In Kentucky, 68 percent of fourth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 33 percent of fourth-graders in Kentucky students scored at or above the NAEP
Proficient level — a 2 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 In Kentucky, 79 percent of fourth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in mathematics in 2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 31 percent of fourth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level — a 9 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 The percentage of black fourth-graders in Kentucky who scored at or above the NAEP Basic
level in reading was 46 percent in 2007, up since 2003. In 2007, the percentage of white students who scored at this level was 71 percent, up since 2003.

 In Kentucky, 57 percent of fourth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, up since 2003 — and above the national and regional levels.

 In Kentucky, 72 percent of fourth-graders met state standards in reading in 2007 — close to the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (68 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (33 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for fourth-grade reading appear somewhat low because they are set close to the
NAEP Basic level but much lower than the NAEP Proficient level.

 In Kentucky, 60 percent of fourth-graders met state standards in math in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (79 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (31 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for fourth-grade math appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 73 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, down since 2003.

 In 2007, 28 percent of eighth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in reading — a 6 percentage-point decrease from 2003.

 In Kentucky, 69 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in math in
2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 27 percent of eighth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in math — a 3 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 The percentage of black eighth-graders in Kentucky who scored at or above the NAEP Basic
level in math was 42 percent in 2007, up since 2003. In 2007, the percentage of white students
who scored at this level was 73 percent, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 37 percent of Hispanic eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in math in Kentucky.

 In Kentucky, 57 percent of eighth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the
NAEP Basic level in mathematics in 2007, up since 2003 — and above the national and regional
levels.

 In Kentucky, 65 percent of eighth-graders met state standards in reading in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (73 percent) but higher than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (28 percent). This means Kentucky's state
standards for eighth-grade reading appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 49 percent of eighth-graders met state standards in math in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (69 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (27 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for eighth-grade math appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 38 percent of eighth-graders took Algebra I (or higher) in 2007, up 3 percentage
points from 2005.

 Kentucky’s eighth-grade enrollment in pre-algebra or Algebra I (or higher) was 70 percent, up 1 percentage point from 2005.

 In Kentucky in 2005, there were 13 more ninth-graders for every 100 eighth-graders in 2004.

 In 2007, Kentucky’s percentage of seniors taking the ACT and its recommended college-prep
courses exceeded the national percentage by 5 percentage points. Kentucky’s percentage rose
from 1997 to 2007, while the national percentage dropped.

 In Kentucky, the average composite ACT score in 2007 for graduating seniors who completed
the ACT-recommended courses was 21.4, compared with 19.4 for students who did not.

 In 2007, 20 percent of Kentucky’s graduating seniors took at least one AP exam, an increase of 9 percentage points from 2000.

 Kentucky’s average ACT score increased by 0.6 point from 1997 to 2007. Kentucky’s average
ACT scores were higher than regional averages and lower than national averages over the 10-
year period.

 In Kentucky, 75 percent of all graduating seniors in 2007 took the ACT, up 8 percentage points from 1997. Kentucky increased both the average composite test score and the percentage of students taking the test.

 The average salary for a beginning teacher in Kentucky was lower than the averages in all
bordering states, except Missouri and West Virginia, in 2005.

 From 2002 to 2006, Kentucky improved its rating on one indicator of developing a learning centered school leadership system, and it currently rates “promising progress” on one indicator.

 Kentucky is considered a “pacesetter” state in providing support for aspiring and newly
appointed principals. Admission to a principal preparation program requires that candidates have a signed agreement of district support. The state appropriates funding to provide a stipend for aspiring principals and their mentor principals to pay for substantial school-based learning
experiences. Newly appointed principals and assistant principals are provided with trained
mentors and ongoing training on school improvement.

 In Kentucky, two-thirds of GED credentials in 2006 were awarded to 16- to 24-year-olds, and
31 percent were awarded to adults ages 25 to 49.

 The GED pass rate in Kentucky was above the national and regional averages in 2006.

 In Kentucky, 14,211 adults — or 9 percent of 25- to 44-year-olds without a high school diploma — enrolled in adult education programs in 2005.

 In Kentucky, students from median-income families needed about $4,800 in state or institutional aid to afford college without loans in 2006.

 Kentucky’s college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates in 2004 was higher than the rate in the nation and the same as in SREB states.

 Kentucky’s college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates improved from 1994 to 2004.

 In Kentucky, the average faculty salary at four-year colleges and universities in 2006 was $6,722 lower than the national average and $2,890 lower than the SREB average.

 The average faculty salary at two-year colleges in Kentucky was $8,660 lower than the national average and $569 lower than the SREB average in 2006.

 In Kentucky, funding for public four-year colleges and universities increased by $426 million, or 43 percent, from 2001 to 2007. Full-time-equivalent enrollment at public four-year institutions increased by 15 percent. Total funding per full-time-equivalent student increased by $2,894 (25 percent), from $11,731 to $14,625. When adjusted for inflation at 4 percent per year,
Kentucky’s per full-time-equivalent student funding fell by $377 (3 percent). Kentucky’s funding increases for four-year institutions lost ground to enrollment growth and inflation from 2001 to 2007.

Good Scores on National Economics Test

The nation’s high school seniors performed significantly better on the first nationwide economics test than they did on other recent national exams in history and science, and demonstrated a better understanding of basic market forces like supply and demand than officials expected.

Results of the economics test, which was administered last year, are being released this morning. A summary report is available on the web at nationsreportcard.gov.

The Department of Education translates student scores on the test, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, into three achievement levels: advanced, proficient and basic. On the economics test, 42 percent of 12th graders performed at or above the proficient level, and 79 percent performed at or above the basic level. An economics course is required for graduation in only about one-third of the states.

“The numbers here are pretty good, really,” said Darvin M. Winick, the chairman of the bipartisan body set up by Congress to oversee the test. “Given the number of students who finish high school with a limited vocabulary, not reading well and weak in math, the results may be as good or better than we should expect.” ...

This from the New York Times.