State education tests trail national standards

08-10-2011

By Stephanie Banchero/Wall Street Journal

States have increased the difficulty of their elementary-school math and reading tests, but the standards are still far below what students are expected to know on national achievement exams, according to a federal report released Wednesday. The data help explain the disconnect between the relatively high pass rates on many state exams and the low scores on the national tests, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Between 2007 and 2009, eight states made it tougher for students to pass one or more of the exams given to 4th- and 8th-grade students, while New Jersey and South Carolina lowered the bar, according to data from the National Center on Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP. The remaining states made no changes. Still, virtually every state uses math and reading exams that are far easier to pass than the national test. (more...)

Also: Huffington Post

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