For Immediate Release

UFT President Randi Weingarten on nationwide test scores

Sep 25, 2007 4:19 PM

Test scores among 4th and 8th graders across the United States rose incrementally in both reading and mathematics on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, which was released on Sept. 25. Fourth grade math scores on NAEP, often called “the nation’s report card,” rose from 238 to 240 from 2005 to 2007, while 8th grade performance climbed from 279 to 281, both on a 500-point scale.

Since No Child Left Behind took effect in 2002, math scores among 4th and 8th graders have gone up significantly, while there has been only marginal improvement in reading scores.

This year, as in the previous 2005 round, NAEP scores were not in sync with New York state test results.

UFT President Randi Weingarten’s statement on the scores:

 “Just as our student achievement is up over the last decade, according to state tests, overall achievement across the country is up, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. That is very good news, owing to the hard work of teachers and their students. However, an analysis of the results by the American Federation of Teachers shows many scores were rising faster before the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002, suggesting there is a cloud on the horizon. Teaching to the test may have resulted in a loss of rigor and a narrowing of curriculum.

“There is another cloud as well – the issue of comparability between our state tests and NAEP that raises questions about the alignment of the state and national tests. For instance, the New York State Education Department tests show that the percentage of fourth-graders meeting standards went down in both reading and math from 2005 to 2007, yet NAEP shows the test scores of New York’s kids rose, especially in math. Then the situation reverses: state tests show the state’s eighth-graders improved in reading and math, especially reading, but NAEP shows eighth-grade achievement absolutely flat from 2005 to 2007. We need to figure out why this happened and what steps can be taken to correct it."