Alabama Students Fare Well on TestsArticle Found in the Opelika-Auburn News Since 2003, Alabama fourth-graders have shown improvement in both reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, while the state’s eighth-graders have held steady in math but fell back a bit in reading. Area school officials cite professional development programs and initiatives in helping to raise the fourth-grade level scores. The NAEP reports scores on a scale of 0-500. The state’s fourth-graders had a score of 225 in mathematics, which is a two-point improvement from 2003, while scores in reading inched up a point to 208 from two years ago. Eighth-graders in Alabama tallied the same score in math for 2005 and 2003 with 262, but in reading they dropped a point to 252 since two years ago. In comparison, the national average score for students in fourth grade in math was 237, up three points from 2003, and 217 in reading which is a one-pint jump from two years ago. Eighth-graders across the nation average a score of 278 in math, a two-point improvement since 2003, with a one-point increase to 260 in reading. Moreover, at the national level, average scores in reading and math for black and Hispanic students improved in 2005 from 2003. Results from the NAEP were released on Wednesday, but local school officials asked for a day to mull over the results before responding. Opelika school officials had still not seen the test results on Thursday and were still unable to respond. “With the major focus of the NAEP being reading and math, it is worthy to mention that Auburn City School teachers spent two weeks this past summer in professional development to become even better math teachers,” Assistant Superintendent of Auburn City Schools Joyce Morgan said Thursday in a written statement. Cindy Irvin, public relations coordinator for Lee County Schools, cited Transforming East Alabama Mathematics (TEAM-Math), a partnership between Auburn University, Tuskegee University, and 15 school districts, including all three school systems in Lee County, as a reason fourth-graders scores improved in math. “TEAM-Math provides mathematics teachers with intensive professional development,” Irvin said in a written statement. “We hope to see more improvement with the continued implementation of research-based, meaningful instruction, increased professional development opportunities and ongoing alignment of curriculum that builds form kindergarten through 12th grade.” The NAEP is a congressionally mandated test tied to the No Child Left Behind Act and federal funding. As of 2003, states are required to participate in the test every two years. Every student does not take the NAEP, and those who do only complete a portion of it. According to a written release from the state Department of Education, 4,900 of Alabama’s 731,000 students took each of the NAEP assessment tests in reading and math. NAEP tests results are not available for individual schools or students. Comparison between states’ scores can be tricky. Each state tests varying percentages of students with disabilities and those who have English as a second language, according to the U.S. DOE. States that tested a higher number of such students might have also have lower average scores. Top | Other Headlines | Home page Last updated
Tuesday, November 8, 2005 12:15 PM
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