Assessment

Despite Some Progress, Math and Reading Proficiency Still Eluding Students in Urban Schools

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — December 01, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The nation’s cities have shown some improvement in reading and mathematics achievement, but most continue to struggle to move more children toward proficiency in those subjects, particularly minority students, according to the latest results of a special urban-district study on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“To us, it’s very encouraging because it says that our overall trends are moving in the right direction, however modest the reading scores are,” said Michael Casserly, the executive director of the Council of Great City Schools, a Washington-based advocacy group representing 66 of the nation’s largest-city districts. “But we are cognizant of the fact that we need to accelerate [the progress].”

Fourth and 8th graders in the Austin, Texas, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., districts outperformed their peers in other urban districts and met or exceeded national averages on the 2005 NAEP in the two subjects, according to the Trial Urban District Assessment, released Dec. 1. The 4th and 8th graders in nine other urban districts scored below the national average in both subjects, but students in several of the districts showed statistically significant increases in scale scores and in the proportion of students demonstrating at least basic skills since the last time the special study was done in 2003.

The most improvement was seen on the math test, with eight districts showing higher average scores among 4th graders and four districts registering improvements for 8th graders since 2003. Reading scores in seven of the districts rose by several points—on the 500-point NAEP scale—among 4th graders in that time. Although most of those gains were not considered statistically significant, they should be seen as part of a positive trend, said Mr. Casserly, whose organization had requested the special urban study.

“If you could get 5-point gains on NAEP in reading [for any urban district], that’s substantial, even if it didn’t pass the statistical threshold,” he said. Mr. Casserly also noted that in several of the districts, many more students moved from the “below basic” level to “basic” in reading, and larger proportions of students demonstrated proficiency in math.

Many Are ‘Below Basic’

Achievement gaps between white students and their minority peers remained, and in some places were quite large. The District of Columbia, for example, showed a 76-point gap between white and black 8th graders in math. In reading, there was a 65-point difference in the average scale score for white 4th graders vs. their African-American peers in the nation’s capital. Gaps between white and Hispanic students were also large in most districts, though generally less dramatic.

Public school students in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Diego were all assessed under the program, with representative samples of students taking the tests last spring. The report also includes results from the District of Columbia reported earlier this fall as part of the NAEP state report, for comparison purposes.

Students in the nation’s cities rarely reach proficiency in the subjects by 8th grade. In fact, large proportions of the students cannot demonstrate even partial mastery over the subject matter, according to the report. The NAEP achievement levels—“below basic,” “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced”—are based on rigorous standards. But the levels are not aligned to states’ own definitions of “proficient.”

In reading, some 60 percent or more of 4th graders and more than half of 8th graders in Atlanta, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and the District of Columbia failed to demonstrate basic understanding of the material. In most cities, however, those figures represent improvements over the 2003 results.

The urban district study allows officials and experts to make some comparisons between student performance in those cities, to track any changes, and to learn more about school-improvement practices that appear to be working and those that do not, according to Mr. Casserly.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment What Teachers Really Think About State Testing
State testing remains a complicated debate amongst educators as the end-of-year assessments take place.
1 min read
A teacher points to a board as students listen in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
A teacher points to a board as students listen in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. State testing happens every spring and educators share their thoughts on whether these assessments accurately reflect student learning.
Eric Thayer/AP
Assessment Download 6 Ways to Curb Grade-Change Requests From Students and Parents (DOWNLOADABLE)
No one likes dealing with grade-change requests. Here are some tips to help teachers avoid them altogether.
1 min read
Close up of a schoolgirl showing her C- grade on a test at elementary school.
E+/Getty Images
Assessment Opinion Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change
Our first reaction to standards-based grading was despair. Then, slowly, things began to change.
Matthew Ebert
5 min read
A student climbs up stairs as letter grades fall around her. In the background a teacher is grading a test.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Assessment In Case You Missed It: How Schools Are Measuring Student Success
Explore stories about grading practices, what truly reflects student achievement, and more.
5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week