What the drop in NAEP math scores tells us — about Common Core and NAEP
The recently released reading and math scores from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress caused some consternation in the education world because they went down for the first time in the history of the NAEP. The exam is often called the nation’s report card because it is the only measure of student achievement given periodically to a sampling of students around the nation. Here is a piece about what the drop in math scores tell us about the Common Core State Standards, which have been implemented in most states for the past few years, and about the Core’s relationship to the NAEP.
It was written by Sarah Lubienski, a professor of mathematics education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on inequities in students’ mathematics outcomes and the policies and practices that shape those outcomes. She conducts large-scale studies using national data sets, as well as smaller, classroom-based studies. Lubienski has chaired the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association and is a member of its Grants Governing Board. Her previous NAEP analyses have been funded by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Institute of Education Sciences. She is co-author of The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools.
By Sarah Lubienski
The one- to two-point point drops in math and reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress announced last week have caused quite a commotion, with various critics blaming school testing, accountability, choice and other policies prominent over the past decade. Departing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other defenders of recent policies have pointed to early implementation issues and demographic/economic shifts as possible What the drop in NAEP math scores tells us — about Common Core and NAEP - The Washington Post: