Hawai'i students' scores still lagging
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
Hawai'i public-school students who took national assessment tests this year did better in math and held steady in reading but still remain below national averages in both subjects.
Fourth-graders showed significant improvement in math since the last time the math test was given, in 2000, while eighth-graders made smaller gains in math. Fourth-graders scored the same in reading as they did last year, while eighth-graders lost just one point in reading from the year before.
The 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress, popularly known as the nation's report card, measured student performance this year for the first time in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Department of Defense schools in the United States and abroad.
The tests used to be voluntary but are now expected every two years in math and reading under the federal No Child Left Behind law, which requires that all students be proficient in core subjects by 2014. Fourth- and eighth-graders take the national test, and the scores can be used as a comparison against how students are doing on separate, state assessment tests that schools are now being held accountable for under the federal law.
In October, the state Department of Education reported that all but third-grade math scores declined this year when students took the state tests in the spring. Overall, Hawai'i students remained near the bottom among states in the national test scores released today, but educators saw progress in the numbers.
"There still is a gap with the rest of the nation that we have to bridge," said Robert Hillier, the NAEP coordinator at the DOE. "But there is some improvement."
The national test results provide an average scale score for fourth and eighth-graders and also rate students as "basic," "proficient" and "advanced" on the subject matter.
In Hawai'i, the average score for fourth-graders in reading was 208 out of a possible 500, compared with the national average of 216. Fifty-three percent of fourth-graders reached the basic level or above, while 62 percent of students nationally reached that level. Among Hawai'i eighth-graders, the average score was 251, compared to the national average of 261. Sixty-one percent of eighth-graders were at the basic level or above, compared to 72 percent of students nationally.
"Our goal is to eliminate the gap and exceed the national average, and we are advancing on that goal," said state schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto.
In math, the average score for Hawai'i fourth-graders was 227 out of 500, compared with the national average of 234. Sixty-eight percent of fourth-graders were at or above the basic level, compared to 76 percent of students nationally. For Hawai'i eighth-graders, the average score was 266, compared with 276 nationally. Fifty-six percent of eighth-graders were at or above the basic level, while 67 percent of eighth-graders nationally were at that level.
Educators are encouraged that Hawai'i students seem to be slowly improving on the national tests. Hawai'i fourth-graders are up eight points in reading since 1998, according to the DOE, and 11 points in math since 2000.
"While the improvement is remarkable, Hawai'i has plenty of room for continued growth," Hamamoto said of the math scores.
Hillier said the bump in math scores could be because students are now given both multiple choice and written-answer questions, both on this national test and the state assessment test. "I think we've moved from a single right answer to students showing and supporting their work," he said.
In Hawai'i, and the rest of the country, there were gender differences in the test scores. Girls did better than boys in reading, and eighth-grade girls in Hawai'i did slightly better than eighth-grade boys in math. Fourth-grade boys in Hawai'i and boys nationally did slightly better than girls in math.
Nationally, 77 percent of fourth-graders performed at least at the basic level in math this year, up from 65 percent in 2000. Nearly seven in 10 eighth-graders scored at the basic level or higher, up from 63 percent in 2000. In reading, nearly a third of students in grades four and eight met the proficient standard, virtually unchanged from 2002.
The results also showed a modest shrinking of the gap in math achievement between non-Hispanic white students and their black and Hispanic peers, a problem that has concerned public schools for decades. "This is an important turning point in American educational history," Education Secretary Rod Paige said. "We have proof that all children can indeed learn -- no matter the color of their skin or their ethnic heritage."
Gannett News Service contributed to this report. Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
