NAEP Math Results

The 2009 NAEP Math scores are out and, as usual, everyone is now interpreting the data to suit their agenda – which is easy to do because there are a zillion ways to cut the data: by scale score or % proficient; by 4^th grade and 8^th grade; by gains from 2007-09 or from 2003 (when Bloomberg and Klein took over) to 2009; and by all students vs. various subsets (free/reduced lunch and white, black, Hispanic).  Then there’s the question of comparisons: NYC vs. rest of state, suburban NYS, other large cities nationwide, and the entire country.

 

Here are two docs from the DOE: a press release (http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2009-2010/09naepmath.htm) and a slide presentation with lots of data.  Reviewing the latter, I can draw four conclusions:

 

A) Overall, NYC has done EXTREMELY well vs. the rest of the state and the nation as a whole since 2003;

 

B) NYC’s gains from 2007-09 were more modest than the exceptional gains from 2005-07, but were still better than the rest of the state and nation (which largely flat-lined);

 

C) State standards need to be raised dramatically (fortunately Merryl Tisch, David Steiner and John King are doing exactly this, with encouragement from Bloomberg and Klein); and

 

D) There’s still a HUGE amount of work to be done!