In the nationwide test used to measure school reform, Illinois pupils showed slight improvements in math and reading last spring but did not keep pace with the rest of the nation, a Tribune analysis found.
Four years ago, when every state began taking the National Assessment for Educational Progress, the state’s public school pupils posted proficiency rates higher than the national average on every exam, at every grade level.
This year’s results, released Tuesday, show Illinois’ schoolchildren posted scores lower than or equal to the national averages in all but one of those categories.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings went out of her way to put Illinois’ scores in the best light during a conference call with reporters, saying it was one of only four states that had made notable progress toward closing the achievement gap among pupils of different races and income levels.
But that measure, too, carries mixed messages.
While Illinois’ minority and poor pupils made important gains on the tests, the gap also narrowed because the progress of white and more affluent pupils was minimal.
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The national results in recent years stand in stark contrast to state test results released last week, which showed elementary school pupils making double-digit gains since 2003 on all but one of the grade-level reading and math exams.
On the national reading exam, for example, only 30 percent of the state’s 8th-graders scored at or above the proficient level, a drop from 35 percent in 2003.
But there has been an 18 percentage-point gain — from 64 percent to 82 percent passing — on the state 8th-grade reading exam in the same period.
Critics contend the wide disparity proves Illinois — and other states — is watering down state tests in an attempt to meet the demands under No Child Left Behind federal reforms. Illinois made dramatic changes to its state exams two years ago, giving students more time to complete tests and lowering the passing bar on the 8th-grade math exam.
“State school chiefs are under an enormous pressure to move kids toward proficiency, so states are tinkering with their tests to artificially inflate scores,” said Bruce Fuller, an education and public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who’s studied the differences in the state and national test scores.
“It’s a rational response to the federal policy,” he said. “But it’s confusing to parents and it’s misleading parents and employers about the true skill level of our kids.”
Chris Koch, state superintendent of education, said while he’d like to see all scores improving at a faster rate, he was pleased with the overall results.
“I’m not concerned about the scores because we are moving up and we are closing the [achievement] gaps, and those are positive things,” he said. “There is work to be done but we are making progress.”
The national math and reading exams, known as NAEP, are administered to a representative sampling of 4th- and 8th-graders in all 50 states every two years as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. About 700,000 pupils took the exams this year.
Although some private school scores are included, the Tribune’s analysis focused on public schoolchildren, who make up the vast majority of test-takers.
The test scores are certain to touch off more heated debate about the value of No Child Left Behind, President Bush’s signature domestic initiative. Policymakers, lawmakers and educators are using the data to buttress their positions on the law, which is up for reauthorization this year.
Hours after the test data were released, education think tanks and teachers union representatives nationwide released a flurry of statements praising the law for boosting the scores or faulting it for not closing the achievement gap fast enough.
Overall, the NAEP results show that, in Illinois and across the country, 4th- and 8th-graders are making progress. Nationwide, the average math scores for all pupils in both grades were at all-time highs.
Reading results were not as impressive.
Fourth-graders posted the highest score ever. But 8th-grade reading scores have declined since the law took effect.
In 2002, the average 8th-grade raw reading score was 264 out of 500. This year it dropped to 263, despite billions in federal and local dollars pumped into improving literacy skills.
Spellings said she was encouraged by the overall results and pointed out that, nationwide, pupils of all races posted gains on most exams.
“I think this shows we are going in the right direction, and we don’t need to let up now,” she said. “I think it’s a combination of factors, but NCLB has played a huge and positive role in more data, more accountability and more attention to needy students.”
In Illinois, the state’s 4th-graders showed the most progress, especially in math.
Four years ago, 32 percent of the public school pupils in the state who took the math exam scored at or above the “proficient” level, indicating “mastery of challenging subject matter.” This year, the number jumped to 36 percent. Nationally, the number increased from 31 percent to 39 percent.
In 4th-grade reading, the proficiency rate ticked up 1 percentage point, from 31 percent to 32 percent.
Illinois 8th-graders did not fare so well. In math, 31 percent scored at or above “proficient” this year, compared to 29 percent four years ago. But the 8th-grade reading score tumbled from 35 percent proficient to 30 percent, and state education officials are not certain why.
These results come a week after state test data showed a troubling decline in 11th-grade reading scores.
Deb Schrock, executive director of the Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools, said middle schools have been left out of the national debate about school improvement.
“I think we have lost some structure in recent years because all the focus has been on high schools,” she said. “I think these numbers remind us that we need to refocus the state’s attentions.”
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And even though Illinois is making progress in closing the achievement gap, minority and low-income pupils continued to score well below white and more affluent children, especially in math.
In 8th grade, for example, only 7 percent of African-American children scored high enough to be considered proficient in math, compared with 50 percent of white pupils. About 14 percent of Hispanic pupils were proficient.
In reading, only 18 percent of low-income 4th-graders were proficient, compared with 57 percent of more affluent children.
Full test results are available online at www.nationsreportcard.gov.
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