8th-grade math scores up; no change for 4th-graders

Eighth-grade math scores rose in Washington state this year on a closely watched exam known as the "nation's report card."

Washington students also continued to score higher than the national average on the test — the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

But the average fourth-grade math score on the test remained essentially flat compared to 2007, the last time the math section of the exam was given.

Washington's results mirrored what happened nationally. On average, fourth-grade math scores stalled for the first time since 1990 and the average eighth-grade score rose, hitting a new high of 282.

The news for Washington was better than two years ago, when the state's scores went up, but not as much as in other states. Overall, however, many education officials viewed the national results as troubling.

"These NAEP results are a call to action for reforms that will prepare our students to compete in the global economy," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

In Washington, Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn said his office will look at how to improve math instruction by studying what's happening in the states and districts that are doing the best.

The national assessment is given to a representative sample of students in a variety of subjects. This year, about 330,000 students in public and private schools took the math exam, including about 6,000 in Washington state.

As with all tests, the NAEP has it limitations. But it is the one common yardstick used to evaluate student achievement over time and among different states.

The National Center for Education Statistics, however, cautions that state-to-state comparisons must take into account changes in the makeup of a state's students, such as a big rise in the number of students learning English.

On this year's math tests, just four states and the District of Columbia showed improvement in both fourth and eighth grades: Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Three states saw improvement in fourth grade only: Colorado, Kentucky and Maryland.

Washington and nine other states saw improvement in eighth grade only: Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and Utah.

In four states, scores dropped among fourth-graders: Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The achievement gap among ethnic groups did not change in Washington state or the nation. In Washington, for example, black and Latino fourth-graders, on average, scored 20 points lower than white students.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com