Vol. 39, No. 37

October 19, 2005

Missouri Students Remain Above National Averages in
Reading, but Math Scores Slip on Latest "NAEP" Tests

Missouri students in grades 4 and 8 continue to outperform the nation in reading, but they lost ground in math, according to new statistics released today by state education officials and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The NAEP is known as "the nation’s report card." The 2005 exams were given early this year to sample groups of students throughout the state. Between 2,600 and 2,800 public school students were tested in each subject and grade level.

The NAEP tests cover math and reading in grades 4 and 8. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, participation in NAEP testing became mandatory for all states in 2003. The reading and math exams are now given every other year.

Although the state’s scores changed little from 2003 in either math or reading, Missouri students continue to score above the national average in reading at both grades 4 and 8.

In math, however, other states pulled ahead while Missouri’s scores slipped or remained the same in grades 4 and 8.

"The NAEP is an important yardstick for our state, so I am disappointed to see us losing ground in math compared to other states," said Commissioner of Education D. Kent King.

"On the state’s MAP exams, more students scored at the ‘proficient’ level in math this year in both grades 4 and 8, and the fourth-grade scores showed a significant gain. MAP scores and NAEP scores should be moving in the same direction, so this is a trend we must watch," King said.

A state law passed last year requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to align the standards of the state’s MAP tests with the national assessment program. The performance standards set for the state-level exams may not exceed any NAEP standards.

As a result, beginning next year, Missouri will adopt the four-level scoring system used with the NAEP exams: "advanced," "proficient," "basic" and "below basic." This will replace the five-level system that has been used with the MAP exams since they became mandatory in the late 1990s. The five "achievement levels" used with the current MAP tests are: advanced, proficient, nearing proficient, progressing, and Step 1.

Following is a snapshot of Missouri’s 2005 NAEP results in math and reading for grades 4 and 8.

  • In reading, grade 4, Missouri’s scale score in 221, which is significantly higher than the national average of 217. The state score is one point lower than in 2003, but this is not a statistically significant difference.
  • 33% of Missouri fourth-graders scored at the proficient or advanced levels in reading, compared to the national average of 30%. This represents a one-point drop from 2003 for the state, but the difference is not significant.
  • In reading, grade 8, Missouri’s NAEP scale score is 265, compared to the national average score of 260.

31% of Missouri eighth-graders scored at the proficient or advanced levels in reading, compared to 29% for the nation. The percentage of Missouri students who are proficient or advanced actually dropped from 2003 (34%), but the difference is not statistically significant.

  • In math, grade 4, Missouri’s scale score is 235 – unchanged from 2003. This is two scale points lower than the national average.
  • 31% of Missouri fourth-graders scored at the proficient or advanced level, versus 30% in 2003. Nationally, 35% of fourth-graders scored at the proficient or advanced levels this year.
  • In math, grade 8, Missouri’s scale score is 276, which is slightly lower than in 2003 (279) and two scale points below the national average.

26% of Missouri eighth-graders scored at the proficient or advanced level, compared with 28% in 2003. This difference is not statistically significant. The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced at the national level increased from 27% to 29%.