Are New Jersey's latest national test scores good news or bad news?

Laura Waters:

Last week the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released results of 2013 state tests. While many other standardized tests get no respect, the NAEP assessments, also called "The Nation's Report Card," are highly regarded by educators, offering an accurate profile of state progress in reading, math, and science for public school students, including those enrolled in charter schools. You can't cheat on NAEP tests. They're weighted properly for socio-economics, disabilities, and English Language Learners. The country's harshest test critics, including doyenne Diane Ravitch, refers to NAEP as the "gold standard" of standardized testing.

New Jersey's scores were flat, one statistically insignificant point lower than last year's NAEP results. Forty-nine percent of 8th graders were proficient in math and 47 percent were proficient in reading. Our achievement gaps, historically larger than most states, were static, about 20 points between white and Hispanic children and 25 points between white and black children.

Diane Ravitch herself commented in the Huffington Post, "New Jersey...actually lost ground."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at November 25, 2013 12:22 AM
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