Students Show Few Gains...

 

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By Jodi Wilgoren, Sept 6, 2000

 

Despite years of efforts to improve education, American students today read no better than their predecessors a generation ago, and their basic math skills have advanced only slightly, according to a new analysis of standardized tests given since the early 1970's.

 

While students have shown steady and significant improvement in the 1990's on a new math test designed to measure problem-solving techniques and geometry, the study shows, they have posted smaller gains on a more traditional examination that emphasizes arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages. Judging by those basic skills, today's 9- and 13- years old probably know as much mathematics as 10 and 14 year olds in 1973, the study finds; but even if those
gains continued, American students would still take 125 years to catch up with their counterparts in Singapore and 83 years to reach their peers in Japan(assuming scores in those countries did not improve).

 

"Clearly, the story is not one of disastrous decline, "said the study, which was conducted by Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on American Education at the Brookings Institution. "Nor is it cause for national celebration."

 

The flat trends in reading Mr. Loveless called it "treading water" do not take into account the influx of non- English speaking immigrants into the nation's schools. And while a promise to teach every third grader to read has been centerpiece of the Clinton administration's education agenda, many states have emphasized math and science over literacy.

 

"Culturally, literacy isn't as important as it once was , "Mr. Loveless said.

 

"The role of literacy in American society has declined over the last three decades, not just among children but among adults as well. I mean, newspaper readership is down."

 

The first of five annual reports planned on the National Assessment of Educational Progress - a set of tests know as the nations' report card - the study did not present new data, but offered fresh analysis. In addition to providing a sobering look a long term test trends, the report on the study raised questions about the criteria used for the federal government's Blue Ribbon Schools program, noting that about a quarter of the award-winning schools have below average test scores.

 

The report also said that fourth graders who said they used a calculator every day had the lowest math test scores, and that black and Hispanic children were far more likely to rely on calculators than white and Asian students.

 

Generally, math gains were highest among fourth graders, and dropped off for middle and high-school students. One section of the report focuses on the two math tests and raises questions about why scores on one are rising far more quickly than on the other. The newer examination, known as the "main" test, reflects curriculums that have flourished during the decade, and allows students to use calculators on some problems and receive partial credit for work done on wrong answers. The older, "trend" test is a multiple-choice examination of basic skills.

 

Looking at specific sections of the older test, Mr. Loveless found that students have improved their performance in geometry, problem-solving, data analysis and algebra, but lost ground on fractions, decimals, and multiplication and
subtraction of whole numbers.

 

Mr. Loveless said having two math tests, with different results, confuses the public-and researchers. He questioned where the gains on the main test reflected real progress in math or simply an alignment between the test material
and curriculums, and he expressed concern that there had not been parallel rise in the trend test scores. Jane Hannaway, director of the Education Policy Center at the Urban Institution in Washington, interpreted some of the math results as good news.

 

"It shows we really can influence what kids are learning with curriculum policies, "Ms. Hannaway said. "We've been doing more of that new math and kids are learning it. We know how to teach basic skills. That's very easy area a
remedy. But we didn't know we knew how to teach problem solving."

 

Sharif Shakrani, deputy executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board - which administers the N.A.E.P. tests -said the newer test "tells us more about the relevant mathematics."

 

"If we want to find out whether our students are competitive and whether they are learning the math they would need to enter the world of science and technology and information, they we need to look at the main math" test, Mr.
Sharkrani said.

 

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