Achievement and Equity
Our strongest data are from statistical studies that plot changes in achievement levels over time and that allow comparisons of achievement across different types of learners and different education systems. These statistical reports can't tell us how to make things better, but they do tell us how we're doing and whether we're making progress. Other speakers today will address in some detail results from such assessments as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as NAEP, and the Third International Math and Science Study, known as TIMSS.
I will summarize the NAEP results by saying that although the trend for achievement is generally up over the last 30 years, we have a long way to go. Large numbers of U.S. students show mastery of only rudimentary mathematics and only a small proportion achieve at high levels.
In the most recent NAEP, only 26% of grade 4 students, 27% of grade 8 students, and 17% of grade 12 students were judged "proficient" in mathematics. At the same time 31% of grade 4 students, 34% of grade 8 students, and 35% of grade 12 students scored below the "basic" level.
Students who score below the basic level do not demonstrate even partial mastery of the material that is appropriate for their age group. For example, in 1996, few fourth graders below the basic level could answer the question: How many fourths make a whole? Overall, half of the nation's fourth graders could not answer this question.
Low levels of achievement are more likely among minority groups and children from low-income backgrounds than among children from advantaged circumstances. For instance, in the year 2000 NAEP, 68% of African American 8th graders scored below basic in math compared to only 23% of white students. For the past decade, the gap in NAEP mathematics scores between white and black students and between white and Hispanic students has remained large and relatively unchanged.
On the TIMSS, our performance relative to other nations depends dramatically on children's grade and age. Our children are above average in elementary school, average in middle school, and are nearly at the bottom of the pack at exit from high school.
While levels of achievement in mathematics among U.S. students are low, the demand for a mathematically proficient workforce is increasing. The United States cannot fill all the jobs in mathematically intensive fields with qualified U.S. citizens. As a result, Congress has been forced in recent years to provide an expanded pool of visas for foreign nationals with high-tech skills. At the same time, the number of college degrees awarded in technical areas has dropped sharply for United States citizens.
What do we know about the effectiveness of practices and policies in mathematics education?