NAEP 2007 RESULTS IN READING AND MATH SHOW STUDENT PROGRESS

Released last Tuesday, September 25, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the Nation's Report Card, indicate that student achievement is improving and the achievement gap is narrowing.

Overall:

Reading. Fourth grade scores were at their highest point in the history of the Nation’s Report Card.
Math. At both grades 4 and 8, the percentages of students performing at or above Basic and Proficient levels were higher in 2007 than in all previous assessment years.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap:

Reading. Since 1998, Delaware has had the largest increase in fourth and eighth grade overall reading scores as well as among African American and Hispanic students. Delaware’s fourth-grade reading scores went up 18 points overall, 24 points among African American students and 42 points among Hispanic students.
Math. At the fourth grade level, African American and Hispanic students' scores improved in every state that has participated in NAEP since 2000.

To view the full report, visit: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

“Students Make Gains Nationwide,” Oakland Tribune, September 26, 2007
Nationwide, fourth and eighth-graders in nearly all ethnic groups have improved their math and reading scores over the last decade and a half, but black and Latino students still lag their white counterparts in California and throughout the country, according to test results released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education.

“‘Nation’s Report Card’ Shows Improvement,” Washington Post, September 26, 2007
The nation's fourth- and eighth-graders continue to improve steadily in mathematics, and fourth-grade reading achievement is on the rise, according to test scores released September 25, 2007. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings credited the five-year-old No Child Left Behind law for providing more accountability and more attention to needy students. "We are going in the right direction, and we don't need to let up now," she said.

“US School Chief Touts No Child Left Behind,” Associated Press, September 21, 2007
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings visited an Indianapolis charter school and the city's children's museum on September 21, 2007, as part of a Midwest bus tour to promote a federal accountability law. Secretary Spellings said the No Child Left Behind law, which is now up for renewal, holds schools accountable while empowering parents and students. "The law is working," she said. "More kids are performing better since this law passed. We need to stay the course."

BUSINESS COALITION FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND UPDATE, October 2, 2007

BUSINESS COALITION FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND UPDATE, October 2, 2007