'Huge gap' found in states' student testing

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There are big differences in how states are measuring student achievement in reading and math, and many state test standards set the bar far lower than national test standards, a new federal report released yesterday shows.

The study -- by the research arm of the Education Department -- is the government's first official comparison of states' testing standards since 2002 enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

It will likely play a role in this year's effort to renew that law, which requires states to test students and set goals to bring all to proficiency level in reading and math by 2014, but doesn't mandate specific standards or define "proficiency."

Yesterday's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report found that state definitions of "proficient" for fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math tests vary greatly from state to state, and most fall far short of the "proficient" level set for national tests.

In fourth-grade reading, for example, each of the 32 states evaluated by the study set their "proficient" level below the national proficiency level, and most even set their "proficient" level below the national level for basic reading skills. In fact, only a few states -- in fourth-grade and eighth-grade math -- set their proficiency levels higher than the national mark.

There's also "a huge gap between where states are setting their proficiency," said NCES Commissioner Mark Schneider.

The national test used in the study is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which tests students nationwide in a variety of subjects but doesn't punish or reward states for the results. The NCES study assigned each state test standard a number, based on how it compared to the NAEP. This way, researchers could compare very different state test standards using a common yardstick.

Massachusetts sets it's fourth-grade reading-proficiency level just below the national proficiency level, but Mississippi's proficiency level is a full 73 points lower than Massachusetts'. Missouri's proficiency level for eighth-grade math is a few points higher than the national standard. But North Carolina's proficiency level is a full 64 points lower than Missouri's.

The report could fuel debate over whether and how lawmakers should aim for more rigorous state standards as they try to renew the NCLB law this year -- one of President Bush's top priorities.

Senate education panel Chairman Edward M. Kennedy addressed this yesterday, after seeing the report.

"I look forward to working in No Child Left Behind to help encourage states to adopt a more consistent and rigorous definition of what students should know and be able to do, in key subjects," the Massachusetts Democrat said.

Just days ago, supporters of the NCLB law trumpeted a report that found many states have made notable progress in student achievement since the law's enactment. Yesterday, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings explained the different findings.

"States have made significant strides under No Child Left Behind to close our nation's achievement gap, as evidenced by the Center on Education Policy study released earlier this week," she said. "But today's report finds that many states' assessment standards do not measure up to the rigorous standards of the Nation's Report Card."

She said it's clear that states must raise the bar, and added, "I hope this report will be a catalyst for positive change."

The study prompted a letter to be sent to all of the 2008 presidential candidates by the former chairmen of the Republican and Democratic National Committees -- Democrat Roy Romer and Republican Ken Mehlman. The two men insisted that there is "no more important issue to our nation" than education reform, and the study "showed that we are failing to set adequate education standards for our children."