Hawai'i students trail most of nation in math

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Hawai'i's fourth- and eighth-graders continue to lag far behind the national average in math skills, according to a federal report released yesterday.

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Among Hawai'i eighth-graders, 16 percent were judged at least proficient. This compares to the national average of 26 percent.

The test found that 55 percent of Hawai'i fourth-graders and 52 percent of Hawai'i eighth-graders are at or above the basic math-skills level.

Scoring at the basic level means having only partial mastery of grade-level material. Being proficient means the student performs consistently and competently when confronted by challenging problems.

That means nearly half of Hawai'i's fourth- and eighth-graders tested couldn't answer basic math questions.

"We've seen modest but steady improvement over the last decade," said state schools superintendent Paul LeMahieu. "While the trend is encouraging, progress to this point has been too slow. Hawai'i's NAEP math results are a wake-up call that serious work is needed to raise academic performance to greater levels.

"Our performance standards in math provide the expectation of higher achievement, coupled with the belief that all students can, and must, achieve those standards. Students in Hawai'i have done relatively well on other math assessments in the past, and have the ability to improve these scores as well."

The test — which included multiple-choice and open-ended questions on measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics — was scored on a scale of zero to 500. About 5,000 randomly selected fourth- and eighth-graders in Hawai'i took the test in the spring of 2000.

The federally administered test, given to a representative sample of 250,000 students, has been dubbed "the nation's report card" by the U.S. Department of Education.

Hawai'i's fourth-graders improved just slightly, from an average score of 215 in 1996 to a score of 216 in the 2000 test. The national average is 226, with Massachusetts and Minnesota scoring the highest at 235.

The average score among Hawai'i eighth-graders was 263, a point higher than in 1996. The eighth-grade national average is 274. Minnesota had the highest score at 288.

"We have really come a long way since what we looked like in 1990," said state Department of Education test development specialist Marian Crislip. "We're no longer in the basement."

Of the 40 states and six jurisdictions that participated in the test, Hawai'i's fourth-graders scored higher than five: Mississippi, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Hawai'i also scored about the same as nine other states.

Of the 39 states and five jurisdictions that tested eighth-graders, Hawai'i scored higher than five: Louisiana, Mississippi, American Samoa, Guam and the District of Columbia.

Students nationwide have slowly but steadily improved in math, according to the test, but American students have consistently lagged behind their counterparts in Asia and Europe.

"The picture is moderately positive: Over the past decade, the average math scores of fourth- and eighth-graders, and to a lesser extent 12th-graders, have improved," said Education Secretary Roderick Paige. "Despite this improvement, it's clear that with only a quarter of fourth- and eighth-graders performing at or above proficient levels on this exam, we are not doing as well as we need to."

The improvement in math scores contrasted with results of the NAEP reading exam, released in April. Overall, students showed little improvement in reading since 1992 and none since the last test was given in 1998.

The Associated Press and the Washington Post contributed to this report.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.