According to new scores released Wednesday on the Nation’s Report Card, the country’s high school seniors are getting worse at math.
The average score for 12th graders on the math test fell by one point from 2013, the last time the test was administered to 12th graders. The change was not enough to be significantly different from the average score from 2009 and 2005, the only other times 12th graders took the test.
The average reading score nationwide was virtually the same as in 2013, although lower than 1998. The average reading score for public school students fell.
The results show that 12th graders have seen no improvement under the Obama administration. After all the billions of dollars and time spent on education reforms at the state and federal levels since 2009, including Common Core and Race to the Top, the average 12th grade student is no better at reading or math.
In both subjects, the gap between high-scoring and low-scoring students rose — not because good students are doing better, but largely because low-scoring students are doing worse. In both subjects, the score at the 25th and 10th percentiles dropped.
In both math and reading, a greater portion of students is now considered to have a below-basic level of understanding. Proficiency levels for 12th graders in both subjects are unchanged from 2009 on, with 25 percent of students proficient or better in math and 37 percent proficient or better in reading.
Average math scores for white, black, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander students did not change from 2013, but all remained higher than scores from 2005.
In math, the average 12th grade student is unable to determine the price of something after multiple discounts, even with a calculator available, nor can they make inferences using a random sample.
In reading, the average 12th grader cannot provide or explain information from an article, nor can they evaluate how persuasive a text is.
Secretary of Education John King reacted to the new scores, saying “Over the past seven years, schools have undergone some of the most significant changes in decades – work that is being led by educators who are retooling their classroom practices to adapt to new and higher standards. We know the results of those changes will not be seen overnight, so we need to be patient – but not passive – in continuing to pursue the goal of preparing all students for success after high school.” He pointed out that 12th graders who took a math class that year did significantly better on the test, suggesting that schools need to offer advanced math courses.
Mitchell Chester, a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, said, “Too many 12th-graders are unprepared for the world after high school.”
Terry Mazany, chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, said, “This trend of stagnating scores is worrisome. … We must examine how we’re preparing students for life after high school, whether offering more students advanced math coursework, for example, or placing greater emphasis on reading for pleasure and for school.”
The Nation’s Report Card, a nickname for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is widely considered the gold-standard of how to assess the state of education in the country. The 2015 math test was given to 12,300 12th graders at 740 schools across the country, while the 2015 reading test was given to 18,700 12th graders from 740 different schools.
This article was updated with quotes from Chester, King and Mazany.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
