Va. Students Rank High in Math, Reading Assessments

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Virginia public school students continue to rank high among the nation’s students in reading and math, according to the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress.

The NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, measures the progress of fourth-grade and eighth-grade students in math and reading. It compares states and jurisdictions based on the average scale scores for selected groups of public school students within an assessment year, or compares the change in performance between two assessment years, according to its website http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/statecomparisons/. Reading and math tests are administered every two years.

Eighth-grade students in Virginia made noteworthy gains in math, according to the Virginia Department of Education. The percentage of eighth-graders who met or exceeded the NAEP standard for proficiency increased by four points to 40 percent in 2011. In 2009, 36 percent of Virginian eighth-graders were considered proficient. By comparison, the national rate of eighth-graders judged proficient is 34 percent.

The average math score for Virginia eighth-graders increased by three points to 289, compared to the national public-school average of 283. Massachusetts’ students led the pack, with an average math score of 299; Virginia’s score ranked 12th in the nation for eighth-grade math scores.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright attributed the gains to changes in the state’s Standards of Learning for middle school math. “Middle school mathematics teachers across the state have been working hard – with support from division specialists and VDOE – to implement a series of Board of Education decisions to increase the rigor of mathematics instruction,” Wright said. “The 2011 NAEP results confirm the gains we have already seen on middle school and Algebra I SOL tests.”

The math SOL tests administered to middle school students in the spring will be based on the new standards.

Forty-six percent of Virginia fourth-graders scored proficient or above in math, which is six points higher than the national average and a three-point increase since 2009. The percentage of fourth-graders achieving the advanced level for math increased two points to nine percent from 2009. The average math score for fourth-graders in Virginia was 245, compared to the national average of 240.

Reading achievement, while still high for the nation, did not see any statistically significant growth. The percentage of fourth-grade students scoring proficient or above increased from 38 to 39 percent; the average score was 226 for reading. Three states – Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey – outperformed Virginia; two years ago, only Massachusetts outperformed the commonwealth in fourth-grade reading.

The reading performance of Virginia eighth-graders was flat compared to achievement in 2009 and since 2003. Thirty-six percent of Virginia eighth-graders performed as proficient or above, with an average reading score of 267. That’s higher than the national average of 264. Virginia ranked 22nd in the nation for its eighth-grade reading score.

“The revised English standards that schools will begin implementing in 2012-2013 place increased emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary and research – areas critical to strengthening adolescent literacy and building college readiness,” Wright said. “As schools implement these more challenging standards, it is my expectation that the reading performance of Virginia eighth-graders on the NAEP will improve.”

The national reading and math assessments will next be administered in 2013.