Across the state this week, school is back in session. Buses rolled out at dawn on Monday morning against a backdrop of academic optimism for the year ahead. What can we expect to see in the way of student achievement? If newly released data on student performance last year are any indication, we have an uphill climb ahead of us.
On Tuesday, the College Board released 2006-07 SAT scores. For the second consecutive year, overall combined reading and math scores were down across the nation, from 1021 to 1017. Average scores in both mathematics and writing declined three points compared to a year ago, with scores of 515 and 494 respectively. This year’s average score in critical reading dropped one point, to 502.
North Carolina followed national trends, posting a comparable four-point drop in overall SAT scores, from 1008 to 1004. The state’s math score on the SAT also fell four points (from 513 in 2006 to 509 in 2007); the average writing score dropped to 485, a three-point decline from last year. The critical reading score was the only exception to this downward slide, holding steady at 495.
Who or what’s to blame for lower test scores nationwide? In their press release, officials at the College Board suggest scores are declining due to demographics: namely, SAT test-takers are a more racially diverse bunch than in years past. This is indeed the case, and it makes good sense that America’s growing racial heterogeneity would be reflected in the pool of college-bound seniors lining up for the SAT. Clearly, the fact that more minorities are aiming for college is something to celebrate. However, falling test scores also bear witness to the fact that minority students are still at an academic disadvantage at the end of their public school careers, victims of our education system’s inability to close entrenched racial achievement gaps.
At the state level, officials at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) acknowledged the lower SAT scores, but drew comfort from the test’s participation rate, a so-called “increase” from last year according to DPI’s current press release. However, an archived press release from 2006 indicates that the participation rate for the state then was also 71 percent, representing a three-point drop from 74 percent in 2005, meaning there’s little in this year’s report to gloat about.
Look for more achievement news in early September, when the State Board of Education releases its official statement about student performance on state tests. Based on preliminary data, student performance is expected to remain stagnant.
The status quo may characterize education in our state, but changes are coming to the Alliance. Beginning September 1st, I will step away from current writing projects to expand my education advocacy work at the grassroots level. I intend to focus considerable efforts on promoting educational freedom in Mecklenburg County, through the charter school and parental choice movements, and by serving
as a board member for Mecklenburg Citizens for Public Education.
I will stay on as director of the North Carolina Education Alliance and as a commentator on the Locke Foundation’s blog, The Locker Room. Alliance communications will continue to provide you with information on the latest education trends and reforms; however, next week, we will debut a new look for our weekly electronic newsletter, with commentary written by my colleagues at the Alliance.
Whatever changes come our way, we at the Alliance remain committed to the fight for educational freedom and reform. Current performance data only serve to underscore the timeliness of our task. Market-based reforms are, at their core, ideologically relevant, and will ultimately prevail. In the words of Victor Hugo, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.” And so freedom marches on.