NYT: Meaning of 'Proficient' Varies for Schools Across Country (NCLB)

[DeepModem Mom]

Meaning of 'Proficient' Varies for Schools Across Country
By SUSAN SAULNY

Published: January 19, 2005


Judged solely by recent statewide tests, fourth graders in Mississippi and Colorado would appear to be the best young readers in the nation. In both states, 87 percent of fourth graders passed their exams.

But Mississippi came in dead last among the 50 states when fourth-grade reading was examined using a different standard, a newly mandated but decades-old test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or N.A.E.P. On that test, only 18 percent of Mississippi's fourth graders achieved proficiency.

Colorado's proficiency rate fell to 37 percent on the national test, but that score was high enough to rank fifth in the nation. Such comparisons of performance on state tests versus national tests have never been possible before on a nationwide basis. The N.A.E.P., known as the nation's report card, used to be voluntary for states. In 2003, it became mandatory. The comparisons suggest how widely the definition of "proficient" varies from state to state, as each administers its own exams and sets its own performance standards.

And those standards matter more today than ever, because they factor into the federal education law, No Child Left Behind, which requires that all students reach proficiency on state reading and math tests by 2014. States are also judged on yearly progress toward that goal, and harsh penalties, including the loss of federal aid, await those that fail to bring all students to a proficient level....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/education/19scores.html