When Davis Guggenheim's film Waiting for Superman hit the theaters it caused a real stir. One problem with part of the film, the NAEP achievement levels were incorrectly stated. Yes, they got it wrong. The film claimed that 70% of 8th graders did not read at grade level. Interesting enough, the NAEP does not even report grade levels! Actually, NAEP reports that 76% of 8th graders are considered as "basic or above" in achievement levels.
Plenty of Americans have made the same assumptions as the film. They think American schools are failing. You will be surprised to learn that this assertion is false. The only real authoritative measure, over time, is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Here are some of the results.
- In 1992 29% of the 4th graders, measured in reading, were rated as "proficient or advanced" while in 2011 34% were rated as "proficient or advanced." (This is a good trend)
- The same exact percentages, in 1992 and 2011, were reported for 8th graders (Again, a good trend).
Tomorrow I'll report on math scores.
In the end, you can be the judge!
Dick
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment