City Students Improve Test Scores, But Still Lag Significantly
Students in America's largest cities are scoring higher on math and reading exams, but still perform well below the national average, according to a new government study released Wednesday.
The report examines results from the 2013 Trial Urban District Assessment, a piece of the National Assessment for Educational Progress, a national standardized test known for being more reliable than state tests. NAEP tested fourth and eighth graders on math and reading, and TUDA drills down to the performance of participating cities with populations of 250,000 or more -- districts that represent about 30 percent of America's school-age children. In fourth and eighth grade reading and in eighth grade math, one-quarter of those students were deemed proficient; in fourth grade reading, that number is higher, with one out of three performing at proficient levels.
In Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Hillsborough County, Fla., math and reading scores were higher than average for big cities. Students in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Fresno, Calif., were below average in both subjects.
"Every district has its own story, but as a whole over the last 10 years, all of the