State students again exceed national averages in math, reading

From the Department of Public Instruction

In the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Wisconsin’s overall scale scores exceeded national averages on mathematics and reading tests. State students posted overall increases in mathematics and 4th-grade reading.

“This year’s NAEP assessment shows overall gains in mathematics and 4th-grade reading. The NAEP assessments provide a snap shot of student achievement with 5% of 4th-graders and 4% of 8th-graders tested,” said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. “While our overall results exceed national averages, our bottom line must be to raise the level of achievement for all Wisconsin students while closing the achievement gap.”

The Wisconsin 4th-grade mathematics scale score was 244, up three points from 2005. Nationally, 4th graders scored 239, up two points from the last assessment. At 8th grade, Wisconsin students scored 286 on the NAEP mathematics test, up one point from 2005 and six points higher than the national average.

On the NAEP reading test, Wisconsin 4th graders had an average scale score of 223, up two points from 2005. Nationally, 4th graders had an average scale score of 220. The average 8th-grade reading scale score for Wisconsin was 264, a two-point drop from 2005 and three points ahead of the national average scale score.

Wisconsin students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals averaged about 25 scale score points lower than students who are not economically disadvantaged, an achievement gap that is similar to the nation. By racial/ethnic group, achievement gaps for Wisconsin also are apparent. Wisconsin's achievement gap between black and white students in reading is the worst in the nation.

“Wisconsin continues to see significant increases in poverty rates, including child poverty, which negatively impacts students’ lives and learning,” Burmaster said. “On a statewide basis, 32% of our students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The growth of poverty is occurring in schools across our state from Bayfield, at 69%, to Beloit, at 71%, and in our largest city, Milwaukee, at more than 79%.

“We must continue efforts to provide the very best education for children, especially those in our highest needs schools. That includes support for established programs such as 4-year-old kindergarten and class-size reduction through the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education and the Preschool to Grade 5 programs. We also are pursuing initiatives around adolescent literacy and reviewing our English language arts and mathematics standards to ensure the rigor and relevance needed to prepare our students for today’s and tomorrow’s world. I encourage the governor and the Legislature to support these programs and find a way to provide grants that put our very best teachers into our highest poverty schools as I proposed in my education budget,” Burmaster added.

On the mathematics assessment, 3,231 Wisconsin 4th-graders out of 59,350 students took the test. At 8th grade, 2,564 students out of 65,582 took the mathematics assessment. In reading, 3,164 4th-graders and 2,670 8th-graders were tested. Because of the breadth of the content covered in the NAEP mathematics assessment, each participating student took just a portion of the test, consisting of two 25-minute sections. Testing time was divided evenly between multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The reading assessment consisted of two 25-minute sections or one 50-minute section, with students taking just a portion of the assessment. Each section contained reading passages that are typically available to students and both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The NAEP mathematics and reading assessments were administered between January and March.

Posted September 25, 2007