It’s always interesting to see where we are and how far we have come (if at all) in terms of academic progress at test results. Here’s a great set of findings from the National Center for Education which you can view fully here:
Long-term trends in science and mathematics show declines in the 1970s and early 1980s, followed by modest increases. For example, the mathematics score averages of 17-year-olds declined from 1973 to 1982, then increased to a level in 1996 similar to the 1973 level.
Long term trends in reading achievement show minimal changes across the assessment years. In 1996, the average reading score for 9-year-olds was higher than it was in 1971. Thirteen-year-olds showed moderate gains in reading achievement; in 1996, their average reading score was higher than that in 1971. There was an overall pattern of increase in reading scores for 17-year-olds, but the 1996 average score was not significantly different than in 1971.
Many states have had increases in mathematics performance in recent years. Eighth-graders in 27 out of the 32 jurisdictions participating in both the 1990 and 1996 assessments showed an increase in their average scale scores.
Despite these widespread increases in performance, large variations in state mathematics achievement persist. The proportion of eighth-graders performing at a Basic or above level ranged from 36 percent in Mississippi to 77 percent in Maine and North Dakota and 78 percent in Iowa.
The mathematics and science achievement gap between white, black, and Hispanic students, has narrowed somewhat since A Nation at Risk. Blacks and Hispanics in each of the age groups tested (9, 13, and 17-year-olds) tended to make larger gains than whites during this period. Paradoxically, the achievement gains of each of these major sub-groups are larger than that for the nation as a whole because of compositional changes in the student population. In particular, the lowest scoring subgroups represent a greater share of the population in 1996 than in earlier years.
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