Please use caution when interpreting these results.

First, state-to-state comparisons can only be made among states that use the same test. In 2014-15, for instance, 18 states used Smarter Balanced and 11, plus the District of Columbia, used Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. (PARCC and Smarter Balanced are two federally funded testing consortia that developed exams aligned to the common core.)

Second, when a state gives the same test year to year, those results can show growth or declines in achievement. But when a state switches to a new test, first-year results can’t be used to compare achievement to that of previous years.

Comparing the results of old and new assessments can show other things, however. A drop in proficiency rates on the new tests could mean that students are still getting used to the new test format, or that schools are still adjusting to teaching new material, or it could mean that states set higher cut points on the new tests than on their old ones.

We offer these results because of the high-profile warnings that proficiency rates would drop on the new tests. What that means in each state that experienced a drop is a story unique to that state.

Notes:
• We report ACT or SAT scores only if they are a state’s only mandated high school test.
• Several states administer separate tests for writing and reading. We chose to report the results of states’ reading tests only, because those are required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
• Despite the No Child Left Behind Act, policies governing when and how students are tested vary by state. This project reflects our best understanding of those policies as they relate to the scores we are reporting based on data states reported and data gathered by Education Week.