BY: BEANIE GEOGHEGAN
Education think tanks, policymakers, legislators, and school leaders nationwide have all been laser-focused on one thing over the past few weeks–test scores. There has been no shortage of commentary or a lack of coverage from the media about the most recent data from the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). Everyone involved in education is justifiably concerned. One group that might not fully grasp the situation’s seriousness but needs to is parents.
NAEP was first administered in 1969 to gather national data about what and how well students were learning. It has informed researchers, policymakers, and educators since its inception. But why should parents care about data from a national standardized test that does not give individual scores or directly impact their child’s future? Why shouldn’t they just rely on their child’s grades or state test scores when discerning if their child is on the right track? In a perfect world, a child’s grades would honestly reflect academic performance, and state test scores would be an accurate metric for assessing their child’s progress. Alas, the current world of education is far from perfect.
One reason grades may not be a good indicator for parents to rely on is the prevalence of the growing and harmful education trend of grade inflation. This trend gives parents a distorted and often inaccurate portrayal of their child’s academic achievement. Some schools prohibit teachers from assigning anything lower than fifty percent in the name of “equity.” While parents may be unaware of this, students quickly learn they can give minimal effort and still get passing grades. Some figure out that just a little extra effort or class participation will earn them an ‘A,’ even if they haven’t mastered the material. This type of grading leads to report cards and GPAs that have parents boasting about and celebrating their children’s accomplishments, never stopping to think that, in reality, they could be struggling academically.
While the NAEP scores don’t identify issues with individual students, they do provide data that should give parents a reason to pause. The data shows that forty percent of fourth graders tested scored at or below the Basic level. According to NAEP, Proficient is the ‘target’ benchmark, but only Massachusetts, with 51% of its fourth graders scoring proficient or better in Math, has over 50% of its students reaching that level. This might cause parents to pause and wonder which students make up that group and whether their children could be included, regardless of what their report cards indicate.
Another factor that parents should consider is the impact the NAEP data will have on the academic expectations of all students. With so many students struggling in reading and math, instruction and expectations in every subject will inevitably be affected. Rigor will be lowered, and the majority of attention will be given to supporting the struggling students rather than challenging the high-performing students. So, even for parents confident that their children are progressing, the alarming NAEP scores should matter.
Ultimately, the tens of millions of students currently in school will soon become high school graduates and members of society at large. Parents and community members should be concerned that so many of these graduates lack proficiency in the foundational skills of reading and math. Becoming a responsible, informed, and self-governing citizen will be significantly more challenging for them, which will negatively affect the vitality of the community.
In the past five years, there has certainly been an increase in parents’ involvement and sophistication regarding educational issues. While some have utilized NAEP as a valuable resource and tool for gathering information, others remain unaware or intimidated by it. It is crucial for parents to become familiar with this data and use it to advocate for improvements in their children’s schools.
