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Arkansas test scores catch up with nation Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas students are performing just as well as their counterparts nationwide, according to test results released Wednesday. Scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress show Arkansas fourth-grade math and reading and eighth-grade reading results on pace with the national average. Eighth-grade math scores trailed national averages slightly on the test, also known as the "nation's report card." State education officials heralded the results at a morning news conference in a room decorated with balloons. Arkansas' average scale score on the fourth-grade reading test was 217, identical to the national average. The fourth-grade math score was 236, near the national average of 237. Eighth-grade reading results in the state were 258, compared to 260 for the nation and eighth-grade math was at 272, with a 278 national average. "It's a very positive step of progress for Arkansas," said state Board of Education member Randy Lawson of Bentonville. "It shows a lot of hard work by the educators throughout the state and diligence on behalf of our students." The NAEP is given in all 50 states to a random sampling of students in grades four and eight. In Arkansas, 10,900 students in 300 schools took the exam earlier this year. This year's scores bested results all other previous rounds of NAEP exams in Arkansas, with the exception of results in eighth-grade reading. The last time the state's fourth- and eighth-graders took the test was in 2003. No state showed improvement from two years ago in eighth-grade reading, though Arkansas was one of 43 states where scores did not decline, either. Arkansas Education Commissioner Ken James said the state's results prove Arkansas is "making the right kind of progress." He credited rigorous professional development requirements for elementary school teachers as one of several reason why test scores are higher. With elementary school reform efforts in place for several years, James said eighth-grade NAEP results can be expected to move higher as the state implements tougher standards in middle schools. "We're beginning to see the payoff of staff development in the early grades," he said. " ... This is the type of steady progress we need to see over time." State Education Board chairwoman Jeanna Westmoreland of Arkadelphia and board member Sherry Burrow of Jonesboro echoed one another that NAEP scores are proof Arkansas is "headed in the right direction." Burrow said tougher accountability measures resulting from the Omnibus Education Act had some effect on NAEP results. Both she and Westmoreland said Arkansas' proximity to the national averages make the state more attractive to business and industry. To Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, D-Crossett, and Rep. Betty Pickett, D-Conway, the NAEP results are a product of greater scrutiny of school districts. "We have a very rigorous curriculum," said Pickett, a former member of the education board. "The (state) benchmark has been a rigorous exam and we've not backed off that. Because we've not backed off from it and we've expected a lot from our teachers and students, this is a result of that." Unlike the state benchmark tests where exams are developed around curriculum requirements specific to Arkansas, the NAEP tests are developed from broad national guidelines. NAEP scores offer state-by-state comparisons, but are not used to measure school-by-school or individual student performance. Also unlike the benchmark, students are said to have performed well at the level of basic or above. The plateau for achievement on the benchmark is proficient or above. Both tests measure students in four categories: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. Since 1992, the percentage of fourth-grade math students testing at basic or above on the NAEP has jumped from 47 percent to 78 percent. Eighth-grade math scores are 20 percentage points better (from 44 to 64) over a 15-year period. In reading, improvement in fourth-graders from 1992 to this year moved from 56 percent to 63 percent basic or above. Eighth-grade reading scores, static nationwide, moved from 68 percent basic or above in 1998 to 69 percent this year. NAEP serves as a tool to determine whether state benchmark tests throughout the nation are difficult enough, James said. Solid performance on state tests and a poor showing on NAEP may indicate benchmark tests should be stronger, he added. James was pleased with Arkansas' results, saying the benchmark and the NAEP are closely aligned. Statistically, Arkansas' scores fall in line with 11 of the 52 states or jurisdictions taking part in the test in eighth-grade reading. Arkansas performed better than eight others and worse than 32. In fourth-grade reading, Arkansas was about the same as 15 states, higher than 11 and lower than 25. In eighth-grade math, state scores were higher than six, about the same as 10 and lower than 35 states. And in fourth-grade math, Arkansas scored better than 12, the same as 10 and lower than 29. "I think the NAEP tests would probably come closer to giving us a truer measure of where we stand than anything," Jeffress said. "This is certainly good news as far as I'm concerned, and it just goes to show that what we've been trying to do the last few years in education reform is beginning to work." |
