Ready for High School? The 2009 NAEP Math Results

The results for the 2009 Nation's Report Card in Mathematics in 4th grade and 8th grade were released Wednesday October 14, by the National Assessment Governing Board. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam — also called "The Nation's Report Card" — is given every two years and results of the exam are disaggregated by state, race/ethnicity, income status and other key student and school indicators. The 2009 results show no improvement in 4th grad mathematics performance from 2007, and a two-point gain in 8th graders' scores. Fifteen states — Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Washington — saw improvements in 8th grade math performance between 2007 and 2009, while no state saw a decline in 8th grade results. Unfortunately, overall achievement gaps did not narrow in either grade.

Since 1990, 8th grade NAEP math scores have risen twenty points and students are making corresponding gains in proficiency levels with 73 percent of 8th graders in 2009 scoring at or above "basic" and 34 percent at or above "proficient." The trend is heartening but does not mask the fact that progress has been slow, particularly in closing achievement gaps and creating a system that ensures ALL students enter high school ready for the advanced mathematics courses they will need for success in college and careers. This reality makes the ongoing work of the ADP network states — with the focus on aligning their high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments and accountability with college and career-ready expectations — more important than ever. Staying focused on the goal of college and career readiness for all, setting the bar appropriately high to meet those goals and systemically ensuring that all students have the support they need to succeed is the best way to ensure improvements in student achievement — and future NAEP results.