Florida’s fourth graders are performing better than the national average on both the reading and mathematics portions of the the National Assessment of Educational Progress, according to new data released Wednesday.
On the whole, Florida’s fourth graders scored slightly higher than the national average on reading levels. Students in the Sunshine State scored a 227 overall on the NAEP reading exam, several points higher than the national average of 221 for public school students nationwide.
When it came to mathematics, fourth graders continued to outscore the national average, achieving a 243 NAEP score versus 240 for public school students across the country.
However, despite performing at a higher level than the national level, the state’s scores were not significantly different from the average scores in 2013, the last time NAEP administered the assessment. Florida’s students did make slight gains (by one percentage point) from the 2013 scores.
Florida’s minorities performed at a lower level than white students on the NAEP exam -- black fourth graders had an average score in reading and mathematics that were 23 points lower than that of white students, though the scores were unchanged from 2013.
Hispanic fourth graders also performed at a lower level than white students by 11 points on both the reading and mathematics sections of the exam.
However, despite performing at a lower level than white students, Florida’s Hispanic students continued to outscore their national counterparts, with fourth graders in the Sunshine State scoring the highest out of all states on the reading portion of the assessment test in the basic and proficient categories.
On top of that, no states scored significantly higher than Florida’s African American and Hispanic students, and only three states scored significantly higher overall on grade 4 reading.
But when it came to 8th grade mathematics, Florida followed a national trend where scores dropped -- the first time NAEP mathematics have seen a decrease since the early 1990s.
Florida experienced one of the biggest drops along with Kansas and Pennsylvania, all falling six points from scores two years ago.
Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart said the results were a sign Florida was leading the nation in mathematics and reading, with the Florida Department of Education focusing heavily on the achievements of the state’s minority students.
“This is a testament to the hard work of Florida’s educators in preparing our students and a reminder as to why we must remain committed to our robust education accountability system,” said Stewart.
Critics of high-stakes testing, however, were not as impressed with the decreasing math scores and relatively flat reading scores.
“The U.S. is moving in the wrong direction,” said Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest). “Rhetorical posturing about the need for assessment reform will not help our students, educators, schools or nation. President Obama, U.S. Department of Education leaders, and Congress need to eliminate counter-productive federal testing mandates now. That will clear the path for implementing assessments that actually help improve teaching and learning.”
