Maryland and Virginia math and reading standards are among the worst in the nation, while expectations in long-troubled D.C. schools are in the top 20, according to a new nationwide analysis.
Virginia and Maryland earned a D+ overall, ranking 41st and 43rd respectively, while D.C. earned a C+ and ranked 17th, according to a report compiled by researchers at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and published in the journal Education Next.
Massachusetts and Missouri were the only states to earn A’s. The grades are based on the ease in earning a passing score on the state standardized tests, versus a passing score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — given to a smaller sample of students and considered by many to be the testing “gold standard.”
Maryland and Virginia have a much higher percentage of students earning “proficiency” on state tests than on the national assessment, indicating the state standard is far easier. That makes the states’ educational success relatively less successful, according to researchers.
“Setting high standards for proficiency is the first step in the journey toward actually improving the learning of a high percentage of students,” the report said.
Maintaining low standards can make a state appear stronger in the eyes of the U.S. Department of Education, and can lead some districts to avoid consequences for poor performance.
State officials took issue with the report, pointing to Maryland’s and Virginia’s successes on measures like average SAT scores and participation on Advanced Placement tests.
States merely did as they were told under No Child Left Behind — establish a standardized test so that all students reached proficiency by 2014, said Maryland schools spokesman Bill Reinhard.
“States were not told to align their tests with NAEP,” he said.
Maryland, Virginia and D.C. have signed on to recent efforts to create common national standards, instead of state by state, and a common test to measure those standards.
