Isle students’ scores on a key national test slip

Academic gains Hawaii public school students saw two years ago on the National Assessment of Educational Progress were essentially erased this year as math and reading scores slipped to 2011 levels on the standardized test known as the “Nation’s Report Card.”

The exam is administered every two years to a representative sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students in every state, and is considered the benchmark of student achievement in U.S. public schools. Nationally, following a steady uptick in scores in recent years, math scores went down by one point this year for grade 4 and down by two points for grade 8, compared with 2013 levels, the last time the test was given. For reading, the 2015 national average score went down by two points for grade 8 and was flat for grade 4.

“The fact is that on these new NAEP scores … most states don’t have a significant drop,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told reporters on a conference call Tuesday morning. “Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised that there’d be folks out there who will use the results from this one round of NAEP as an opportunity to say that somehow raising expectations for our kids was the wrong thing to do and to turn back the clock. That would be a mistake.”

In Hawaii, with the exception of fourth-grade reading scores, reading and math scores fell from 2013 levels, according to results released Tuesday evening in Hawaii. The percentages of isle students testing at or above proficiency benchmarks in both grades and subjects also dropped.

For both grades and subjects, Hawaii students scored below national averages. In eighth-grade reading, Hawaii students performed better than only three other states and the District of Columbia.

NAEP achievement levels are set by the National Assessment Governing Board, an independent, bipartisan organization established by Congress. “Proficient,” according to the board, represents solid academic performance, and students reaching this level demonstrate “competency over challenging subject matter.”

About 2,300 students each in grades 4 and 8 took this year’s exam in the spring, making up 18 percent of students in the tested grades. The 2015 results for Hawaii showed:

Math

>> Fourth grade: Students scored an average 238 points out of a possible 500 points — down from 243 in 2013 and two points lower than the national average of 240. Hawaii’s average score was higher than 15 other states’. Thirty-eight percent of fourth-graders tested at or above the proficient level in math, compared with 40 percent nationally.

>> Eighth grade: Students scored an average 279 points — down from 281 in 2013 and two points lower than the national average of 281. Hawaii’s average score was higher than 14 other states’. Thirty percent of eighth-graders tested at or above the proficient level in math, compared with 33 percent nationally.

Reading

>> Fourth grade: Students scored an average 215 points — unchanged from 2013 and six points lower than the national average of 221. Hawaii’s average score was higher than six other states’. Twenty-nine percent of fourth-graders tested at or above the proficient level in reading, compared with 36 percent nationally.

>> Eighth grade: Students scored an average 257 points — down from 260 in 2013 and seven points lower than the national average of 264. Hawaii’s average score was higher than four other states’. Twenty-six percent of eighth-graders tested at or above the proficient level in reading, compared with 34 percent nationally.

In 2013 Hawaii’s fourth-graders surpassed their national peers in math, marking the first time the state had topped the national average in any subject since state results were first recorded in the early 1990s, and prompting praise from federal education officials. Overall gains in reading and math were widely pointed to by state and federal officials as evidence of Hawaii’s progress with reform goals.

“We were disappointed that this wasn’t a repeat year of our state’s 2013 positive NAEP results,” schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said. “However, our students’ gains over the last 10 years continue to be some of the highest in the nation, reflecting the hard work and accomplishments of our educators and students. NAEP is one of the many measures we look at to assess progress. This single test score provides important information but does not tell the whole story about our state’s education progress.”

The NAEP results come on the heels of first-time scores on the state’s Smarter Balanced Assessment, a more rigorous Common Core-aligned test that replaced the Hawaii State Assessment last school year. The test is used to meet the federal requirement that students be tested annually in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.

Overall, 48 percent of Hawaii students met or exceeded the achievement standard for English language arts — which tests students on reading, listening, writing and research skills — and 41 percent were deemed proficient in math.

“Compared with NAEP, Smarter Balanced more directly measures what we expect our students to know and be able to do, measures knowledge and the application of student learning, and is more comprehensive in covering English language arts and literacy, not just reading,” Assistant Superintendent Tammi Chun said in a statement. “The 2015 results of Smarter Balanced were promising, particularly compared with other states.”