At Crestview Elementary School, 4th grader Ashley reads voraciously and independently about fishing in the Yurok culture, while 8th grader Ricky devises and solves algebraic equations. At Del Mar Elementary School, Melanie struggles to make sense of her social studies textbook, while Scott multiplies four-digit numbers in his 8th grade mathematics class. Why are Ashley and Ricky developing more advanced academic skills than Melanie and Scott? Why do schools hold such different expectations for what students can learn? To help ensure that all of America's children have the opportunity to achieve academic success in reading and mathematics, President Clinton has proposed the development of voluntary national tests in 4th grade reading and 8th grade mathematics.
Why 4th Grade Reading and 8th Grade Mathematics?
Reading independently by the 4th grade is the gateway to learning in all subjects. By 4th grade, teachers usually stop teaching reading and expect students to have made the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. As a poor reader, Melanie will likely experience school difficulties without intensive interventions. She may have difficulty comprehending mathematics story problems, analyzing literature, and interpreting historical documents in the higher grades. She is more likely to be identified as learning disabled, receive lower grades, and not graduate from high school (Velluntino, Scanlon, and Spearing 1995; Natriello, McDill, and Pallas 1990; McMillan, Kaufman, and Klein 1997). Melanie is not alone. Forty percent of 4th grade students read below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and have trouble understanding the overall meaning of what they read (Campbell, Donahue, Reese, and Phillips 1994).
Learning some algebra and geometry by the end of 8th grade is the gateway to taking challenging mathematics courses in high school and college (Stevenson, Schiller, and Schneider 1994). Having learned some algebra and geometry by the end of the 8th grade, Ricky will enter high school prepared to study demanding mathematics. Upon entering college, he will be able to choose from a multitude of careers, particularly in rapidly growing industries such as information technology. Even if Ricky does not attend college, his higher math skills will yield benefits. Richard Murnane and Frank Levy have demonstrated that male high school graduates with higher math skills who do not go to college earn more than those with lower math skills (Murnane and Levy 1996). However, many of our students do not have the same opportunities as Ricky. Only 25 percent of 8th grade students and fewer than 15 percent of low-income students take algebra by the end of 8th grade (National Center for Education Statistics 1996).
Voluntary National Tests Would Differ From Other Tests
The idea behind the proposed voluntary national tests is not simply to have another test, but to improve the chances that all children will receive high quality instruction in reading and mathematics. Unique features of the voluntary national tests would enable parents and teachers to use the tests as tools to improve education from the grassroots level.
Public and independent. An independent, bipartisan board, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), would develop the tests with extensive public involvement. The tests would be based on the highly respected NAEP frameworks, which NAGB also oversees, and which were developed through a broad-based consensus process. Under the guidance of NAGB, teachers, principals, business and community leaders, parents, and reading and math specialists would create the test items. Throughout this process, NAGB would hold public hearings. The tests would be free of racial, cultural, or gender bias and would make accommodations for disadvantaged, limited English proficient, and disabled students. In addition, the National Academy of Sciences would conduct three studies related to the tests. It would study the quality and fairness of the test items, make recommendations for practices and safeguards in the use of the test results, and determine if an equivalency scale could be developed to link commercially available standardized tests and state assessments to NAEP.
Unlike NAEP, which is not an individual test and is given to a sample of students, the voluntary national tests would be given to individual students and yield individual student scores. The tests are strictly voluntary. The federal government would not withhold funding from a state or local education agency based on its participation, nor would the federal government receive individual test results. Under the current schedule, the pilot test would be conducted in March 1999, and the first field test would follow in March 2000. The first voluntary national tests would be administered in March 2001, and the government would offer a new version of the tests on an annual basis.
Tied to challenging external standards. The voluntary national tests would measure student performance against challenging external standards of what students know and can do. The tests would be explicitly linked to NAEP performance levels and, in mathematics, also to the performance scale for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
The NAEP performance standards are challenging. In cases where states set performance standards, their standards are generally below the NAEP standards. A recent Southern Regional Education Board study revealed that in some states, more than 80 percent of the students are proficient on state assessments, but only 20 percent or fewer are proficient based on NAEP standards (Musick 1996).
The results of a standards assessment based on national and international benchmarks would be powerful tools for local change. With a clear picture of the performance of their children, communities could better invest their time, money, and energy in schools. Teachers could target students' needs and use test results for self-evaluations. Administrators could support the professional development their schools and teachers need. Parents could choose to become more involved in their children's education.
Public release of the tests. Within two weeks of the test administration in March, the test items, answers, and explanatory information would be widely distributed via the Internet and other avenues. In May, teachers would receive individual students' answers to every test item, along with explanatory information.
Before the end of the school year, teachers and parents would know how their students' performance measures against high academic standards, and they would have the tools to help improve their performance. Teachers and parents would have a clear explanation of what the NAEP standards are and detailed examples of proficient performance based on those standards. Teachers and parents could address individual student needs. Educators could evaluate their current teaching materials and instructional methods and make plans to help their students during the same school year. Principals and teachers could review the test results to evaluate the effectiveness of their instructional programs, to plan their summer professional development, and to mobilize school communities to improve performance.
Rich supplemental information. The annual public release of the tests would include rich supplemental information that clearly explains the performance standards and the content area of each item. For mathematics, the content areas include numbers and operations, geometry, and estimation. Parents and teachers would receive examples of student work for each item, as well as examples of the work needed to meet different levels of performance. Teachers would have access to instructional strategies, research-based curriculum materials, and a sample test a year before the first administration of the tests.
Through the Internet and other means, parents and teachers would have immediate access to test results and elaborative information. In fact, the power of technology would give parents and teachers innumerable opportunities to improve student performance in reading and mathematics. For example, through a Web site for the voluntary national tests, parents and teachers would be able to request technical assistance, join networks, access sample lesson plans, view reading lists recommended by the American Library Association and the International Reading Association, and learn about programs that provide assistance in improving students' reading and mathematics skills.
Helping teachers teach challenging content. The tests would provide educators with tools to teach challenging content. The rich supplemental information would give teachers a clear understanding of the content areas in reading and mathematics. Each year the tests are offered, the content areas would remain the same, but the items would be different. The tests would not be designed to encourage teachers to have students memorize items or master testing "tricks." With consistent content areas, but new test items each year, the tests would encourage teachers to teach students demanding content.
National focus. The voluntary national tests would center the nation's attention on improving reading and mathematics education. The president and others would talk about the tests every week for the next two years. This national focus would help mobilize local communities to improve the quality of instruction in schools. Business and community organizations could form school partnerships, and community members could participate in campaigns to improve reading and mathematics. The Department of Education, with many partners, is already involved in such campaigns. The America Reads Challenge includes a corps of trained reading tutors, reading specialists, and tutor coordinators; parental support; and early intervention for our most disadvantaged children. The Department of Education and the National Science Foundation have developed an action plan to build public understanding of challenging mathematics, to help equip teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach challenging mathematics, and to assist communities in efforts to implement high-quality curriculums and instructional materials.
The voluntary national tests would challenge students to achieve high academic standards at key points in their school careers. By ensuring that every 4th grader can read independently and every 8th grader can solve challenging mathematics problems, the tests would create a foundation for their school careers. If we do not help them establish this foundation, students from schools like Crestview and Del Mar will be unequally prepared to enter the demanding workplace of the 21st century. Students like Melanie will continue to struggle to read, and those like Scott will continue to do rote computation. The voluntary national tests would give parents and teachers powerful tools to help all America's children excel academically, compete in a global economy, and become responsible citizens in our democratic society. The voluntary national tests alone would not change American education. But they could help mobilize local efforts for improvement in two of the most essential basics of American education: reading and mathematics.
