AFT NLCBlog: The Truth About Student Achievement: Part Two

February 2, 2007 07:15 AM
Posted by Dan
In my first post in this series, I examined the claim that student achievement is declining, a common refrain of public school critics. To counter this claim, I highlighted the impressive rise in test scores of 9-year-old African-Americans on the NAEP long-term trend assessment, widely considered the most reliable gauge of student progress. (Click here to learn about the major differences between the NAEP long-term trend assessment and the NAEP main assessment.)
But what about other ages and subgroups? Are they showing the same sharp rise in NAEP long-term trend scores? You can see the data for yourself here or read the highlights below. Remember: 10 points on NAEP equals about one year of learning.
Age 9

• Math (1973 to 2004): African-Americans are up 34 points, Latinos are up 28 points, and Whites are up 22 points.


• Reading (1971 to 2004): African-Americans are up 30 points, Latinos* are up 22 points, and Whites are up 12 points.

Age 13

• Math (1973 to 2004): African-Americans are up 34 points, Latinos are up 26 points, and Whites are up 14 points.


• Reading (1971 to 2004): African-Americans are up 22 points, Latinos* are up 10 points, and Whites are up 5 points.

Age 17**

• Math (1973 to 2004): African-Americans are up 15 points, Latinos are up 12 points, and white are up 3 points.


• Reading (1971 to 2004): African-Americans are up 25 points, Latinos (since 1975*) are up 12 points, and whites are up to 2 points

With the exception of the reading scores of 17-year-old Whites, all the gains are statistically significant. There are, of course, still sizable gaps in achievement between Whites and African-Americans, and Whites and Latinos, and we must continue to narrow them. But the facts are undeniable: Real and substantial progress has been made by all subgroups, particularly in math (a subject that is more easily influenced by in-school factors than reading) and in the earlier grades (when kids are more likely to take the tests seriously).
In my next post, we’ll take a look at why overall average NAEP scores (which public school critics like to seize on) mask the quite impressive gains made by student subgroups.
*In reading, NAEP didn’t treat Latinos as a separate category until 1975.
**Tests for this age group are notoriously unreliable so results should be interpreted with caution.