The National Center for Education Statistics released fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in June, and Gov. Mike Easley, State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee, and State Superintendent Mike Ward celebrated the results at a press conference at Green Hope Elementary School in Raleigh. Students from fourth-grade classes filed in and filled the carpeted floor space to listen to Easley’s message.

The center-stage graphic display labeled “NC Above National Average on NAEP” plotted North Carolina’s fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores from 1998 to 2002. The governor, pointing to the rising reading scores, began with enthusiastic praise for the accomplishments of fourth- and eighth-graders in the state. North Carolina’s fourth-grade reading scores rose 9 points, moving from 213 on the 1998 NAEP to 222 in 2002. The fourth-grade gain is statistically significant, and North Carolina’s fourth-graders scored above the national average of 217 in 2002 (though some of the increase is likely due to changes in the population of North Carolina students selected to take the test).

Statistically significant results cannot be attributed to random or uncontrolled factors that might affect test scores.

The fourth-grade scores in North Carolina reflect a national trend in reading. The national average for fourth-grade reading rose 4 points in 2002, increasing from 213 to 217.

National and statewide trends in eighth-grade reading also rose. The national average for eighth-grade reading scores rose from 262 to 264. North Carolina’s eighth-grade reading scores improved from 262 to 265. The numerical gain in the eighth grade was not statistically significant, according to the NAEP report.
During the press conference, Easley praised the advances in reading North Carolina’s students have made. “We are 77 percent proficient in North Carolina,” Easley said. “You can’t manipulate a national test.”

Ward was more reserved. “What NAEP calls proficient is something very different than our Level III,” he said.

Adequate vs. proficient: different targets

The NAEP identifies four levels of subject mastery. Student scores place them in “below basic,” “basic,” “proficient,” or “advanced” achievement categories. According to the NAEP State Reading 2002 report for North Carolina, fourth-grade proficient-level readers “should be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of the text, providing inferential as well as literal information. When reading text appropriate to fourth grade, they should be able to extend the ideas in the text by making inferences, drawing conclusions, and making connections to their own experiences. The connections between the text and what the student infers should be clear.” The proficient standard requires that students show they have a command of “challenging subject matter,” according to the NAEP.

The North Carolina end-of-grade tests in each subject are scored on a lower proficiency standard than that used by the NAEP, according to officials. The state’s Level III score requires that students “consistently demonstrate mastery of the grade-level subject matter and skills, and [are] well-prepared for the next grade.” In North Carolina, about 77 percent of fourth-grade reading students are at grade level, according to 2002 end-of-grade test results. The NAEP proficient standard requires achievement beyond grade-level minimum. “It’s very high, and something to which we should aspire,” Ward said about the NAEP standard.

According to the Department of Public Instruction’s “Understanding Your Child’s End-of Grade Test Scores, Grades 3, 4, and 5,” the end-of-grade reading test items fall into one of three categories: cognition, interpretation, or critical stance. Questions about the main idea, vocabulary, or recall of specific information are part of cognition. Interpretation includes inferences about attitude or mood, and critical stance requires the reader to make comparisons between people, events, or situations in the story. Level I or II students will have insufficient or inconsistent mastery in these areas, and have below grade-level achievement.

Middle and high school students

Although the NAEP results in reading looked exceptional for fourth-grade students, education officials expressed concern about upper-level results. NAEP reading scores for eighth-graders rose three points, one point more than the national average, but have educators concerned about the statistically flat performance. North Carolina 12th-grade students’ NAEP reading scores dipped this year. During the NAEP release press conference, Ward said, “Twelfth grade was a little disappointing. We tended to lose ground or stay flat.” Ward questioned whether “this is a product of test saturation,” when discussing the upper-level results.

The end-of-grade test results in reading have a pattern of improvement similar to that of the NAEP. Elementary grades scored well on the reading end-of-grade tests, and average pass rates may be in the 80 to 90 percent range once the results are certified. The Winston-Salem Journal reported that 81 percent of third-graders, and 88 percent of fifth-graders passed the reading end-of-grade test this year. Both are improvements over last year’s pass rates. But middle- and upper-level students aren’t making the same gains. Mecklenburg, and Forsyth report end-of-course scores that are mixed or stagnant in those grades. As students prepare to exit the public schools for college and other pursuits, school officials worry over the lackluster results.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Forsyth school board member Buddy Collins said, “We’ve put a lot of emphasis on elementary and getting that base done, but I’d like to put some of that emphasis in high school.”

Palasek is a policy analyst for the North Carolina Education Alliance and assistant editor at Carolina Journal.