2013 NAEP Scores Show (Again) That Test-and-Punish Hasn’t Worked
Yesterday the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores from 2013 were released. According to Education Week, eighth grade math scores rose by one point with a three point gain in reading. Fourth graders gained a point in math with no significant change in reading.
The NAEP is a test given across the states every two years. It is used neither to diagnose students’ specific learning needs nor to evaluate any specific child’s performance nor to evaluate teachers or specific schools. Not all schools are tested and not all children who take the test are given the entire test. It is administered across the country as an overall assessment of how America’s public schools are doing.
Diane Ravitch, who served for several years on the National Assessment Governing Board, explains the operation and significance of NAEP in her new book Reign of Error: “NAEP is central to any discussion of whether American students and the public schools they attend are doing well or badly. It has measured reading and math and other subjects over time. It is