0.7 Ward, s. (february 2009). what every educator should know about  (Page 4/7)

If we take a broader look at states across the nation, we find that proficiency has multiple meanings. In some states, proficiency means that students are meeting national standards in accordance with NAEP. In others, it means that students are barely performing at what some would consider basic levels. A level of performance considered proficient in one state could be labeled one notch lower, or basic in another (Mills, 2008).

To dig deeper into this premise, four states from across the nation were selected from each quadrant of the nation for reasons of comparison. The spring 2007 state tests results for 4th and 8th graders in the areas of reading/English language arts and math from each of the chosen states were compared to the NAEP 2007 math and reading tests results. Test components used to measure reading skills include reading for literary experience, reading for information, and context reading to perform a task. Reading for literary experience is measured with fictional texts that include stories and poetry. Reading for information is measured with articles and textbook material. Reading to perform a task is measured with documents and procedural materials (Education U. S., National Center for Educational Statistics, 2007). The state assessments used for this comparison are from the California Standardized Testing and Reporting System, Colorado Student Assessment Program, Georgia Criterion Reference Tests, Michigan Educational Assessment Program, and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. Each state in the comparison group uses a battery of assessments also designed to measure reading skills for literay experience, reading for information and functional texts.

Nationally, 41% of all 4th graders scored proficient or advanced on the NAEP and 38% scored proficient or above in the area of math. Nationwide, 29% of all tested 8th graders scored proficient or advanced in reading on the NAEP, and 31% scored proficient or advanced in math. All 50 states and 2 jurisdictions (i.e., the District of Columbia and Department of Defense schools) participated in the 2007 NAEP reading and mathematics assessments (Education U. S., National Center for Educaitonal Statistics, 2007). The comparison data for grades 4 and 8 are presented in the two tables below.

Table 1

Percent of 4th Grade Proficient Students – Comparison of State Test Results in Reading and Math to NAEP Test Results

Table 2

Percent of 8th Grade Proficient Students – Comparison of State Test Results in Reading and Math to NAEP Test Results

The comparison data in Tables 1 and 2 illustrate that the percentage of students proficient in each state varies dramatically according to the NAEP and that the percentage of students proficient in a given state varies considerably depending on whether we are looking at the state’s definition or the national definition. Michigan for example, reported 2 to 3 times as many 4th and 8th grade students proficient in 2007 than the NAEP. Georgia on average reported nearly three times as many students proficient in grades 4 and 8 as did the NAEP, and California nearly twice as many students. In Colorado about 1.5 times as many students were proficient on the state assessments as compared to the NAEP. Massachusetts on average reported similar numbers of students proficient as did the NAEP, suggesting that Massachusetts is the only state in our sample in which proficient students might be meeting national proficiency standards. On the other hand, Michigan and Georgia both fell drastically short in comparison to the NAEP. In general, the findings suggest that that the rigor required to be proficient in each state differs dramatically. Mills (2007) confirms this finding reporting that there are variations in the level of rigor in both the scope of content standards and the meaning of test results.