Nation's Report Card Shows Improvement in Math

A recent survey of 343,336 of the nation's fourth and eighth graders indicates more students are performing better in mathematics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the math portion of NCES' National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), large gains were shown among the lowest 10 percent of fourth grade students and most of the lower-scoring eighth grade students since the study was last conducted in 2000. Additionally, higher-scoring students posted gains at a smaller rate, lessening the overall achievement gap.

The NAEP math assessment presents a broad view of what U.S. students know and can do in mathematics. The assessment was developed and reviewed by math educators and curriculum and assessment experts to capture the goals of the mathematics framework. The framework, which describes the kinds of exercises the assessment should feature, was created by the National Assessment Governing Board through a comprehensive national process involving teachers, administrators and state education officials.

In math, the proportion of students reaching the Basic achievement level has increased dramatically, the report states. About 77 percent of all fourth graders performed at or above Basic in 2003, compared to 69 percent in 2000 and 50 percent in 1990. For eighth graders, the proportion of those reaching Basic climbed from about half in 1990 to more than two-thirds this year. Students are able to perform such math operations as whole number computations and simple real-world problems at the Basic achievement level, according to the report.

To reach Proficient on NAEP, students must be able to apply the math they've learned to different, often unfamiliar situations. Overall, in fourth grade, the proportion of students reaching this level rose from 13 percent in 1990 to 24 percent in 2000, and up to 32 percent this year. In eighth grade, the proportion of students performing at or above Proficient climbed from 27 percent in 2000 to 29 percent in 2003.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi made the largest gains since 1990 and 1992 among states, the report observes. At eighth grade, Texas and New York also are said to have made large gains. Students in all 50 states participated in NAEP for the first time, as part of the requirements under No Child Left Behind.

The NAEP math assessment consisted of multiple-choice questions designed to assess students' mathematical knowledge and skills. It also contained constructed-response questions that required students to describe solutions in one or two sentences and sometimes longer responses. In 1996, 2000 and 2003, approximately 50 percent of student assessment time was devoted to these questions.

NAEP also gives background questionnaires to teachers, students and schools that are part of the NAEP sample. Responses to these questionnaires supply NAEP information about school policies affecting mathematics instruction, as well as information about schools' educational resources.

NCES falls within the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The NCES report, which also measures reading achievement, includes numerous tables showing performance levels across states and is available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/. State data can be found at:  http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/mathematics/results2003/stateresults.asp