State math, reading scores up

(This story was taken from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.)

Missouri fourth- and eighth-graders posted significant gains this year on the mathematics section of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, state education officials said today.

Missouri scores on the reading section of the NAEP exams did not change from 2005 and remained virtually the same as the national averages, according to the latest statistics.

The NAEP is known as "the nation’s report card." The 2007 exams were given early this year to about 350,000 students nationwide. In Missouri, the sample groups included about 3,000 students in each subject and grade level. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, all states are now required to take part in NAEP testing in odd-numbered years.

"Missouri students made strong progress in math in both fourth and eighth grade, and Missouri is one of only six states in which students scored higher on all five subsections of the math exam," said Commissioner of Education D. Kent King.

"I am disappointed that we are not seeing any movement in the NAEP reading scores, but I am delighted with the amount of progress our students demonstrated this year in mathematics," King said.



Highlights of Missouri 2007 NAEP results:
# In grade 4 mathematics, Missouri students posted an average scale score of 239, which is above the 2005 score of 235, and equal to the national average score.

The percentage of fourth-graders at the "proficient" level or above is significantly higher this year (38%) than in 2005 (31%).

# In grade 8 mathematics, Missouri students posted an average scale score of 281, which is above the 2005 score of 276 and nearly identical to the national average (280).

The percentage of eighth-graders at the "proficient" level or above is significantly higher this year (30%) than in 2005 (26%).

The average scores for female, white, and black students increased significantly.

# In grade 4 reading, Missouri students posted an average scale score of 221, which is unchanged from 2005, and nearly identical to the national average (220).

32% of fourth-graders were "proficient" or above, which is unchanged from 2005 and nearly identical to the national scores (31%).

# In grade 8 reading, Missouri students posted an average scale score of 263, which was not significantly different than 2005 (265) and about the same as the national average (261).

31% of eighth-graders were proficient or above in reading, the same as in 2005 and above this year’s national average (29%).