HIGH SCHOOL
ACHIEVEMENT
IN AMERICA:
What Do We
Know?
Louisiana High School Commission
The Education Trust
December, 2004
What Do We Know About
Student Achievement?
12th Grade Achievement
In Math and Science is Up
Somewhat
High School Achievement: Math
and Science: NAEP Long-Term
Trends
315
310
305
300
Math
Science
295
290
285
280
1986
1990
1992
Source: NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress.
1994
1996
1999
In Reading, 12th Grade
Achievement is Headed
Downward
HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT:
READING AND WRITING
NAEP Long-Term Trends
300
295
290
285
280
275
270
265
260
255
250
READING
WRITING
1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996
What about different groups of
students?
Average Reading NAEP Score
300
Gaps Narrow 1970-88
NAEP Reading
17 Year-Olds
200
1971 1975 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996
African American
Latino
White
Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress (p. 107)
Washington, DC: US Department of Education, August 2000
Gaps Narrow 1973-86
NAEP Math Scores, 13 Year-Olds
Average Scale Score
300
280
260
240
220
200
1973
1978
1982
1986
1990
African American
1992
Latino
1994
1996
1999
White
Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress (p. 108)
Washington, DC: US Department of Education, August 2000
Between 1988-90, that
progress came to a halt…and
gaps began to widen once
again.
Average Reading NAEP
Score
Gaps Narrow Then Mostly Widen
Reading, 17 Year-Olds
NAEP Long-Term Trends
300
21
31
200
1
5
0
4
8
0
2
4
6
9
7
7
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
African American
Latino
White
Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Prog
Washington, DC: US Department of Education, August 2000
32
20
African American
Latino
1
9
9
9
1
9
9
6
1
9
9
4
1
9
9
2
1
9
9
0
1
9
8
6
1
9
8
2
1
9
7
8
250
1
9
7
3
Average Reading NAEP
Score
Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady
or Widen: Math, 17 Year-Olds
NAEP
Long-Term
Trends
350
White
Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends in
Academic Progress (p. 108) Washington, DC: US Department of Education, August 2000
How much learning takes
place at each level?
Students Make More
Growth Grade 5 to 8
than
Grade 9 to 12
Academic Growth
Grades 5-8, 9-12
70
58
60
50
48
44
40
30
38
34
27
20
25
9
10
0
Reading
Writing
Math
Science
Grade 5-8
Grade 9-12
Value Added in High
School Declined During
the Nineties
Value Added Declining in High
School Math...
Age 13-17 Growth
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
36
36
34
Math
Class of '90
Class of '94
Source: NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress
Class of '96
…Still
Age 13-17 Growth
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
33
29
Math
Class of 96
Source: Main NAEP 1996, 2000
Class of 00
Reading: Students Entering
Better Prepared, But Leaving
Worse
Total=290
NAEP score and gains to age 17
100%
Total=288
33
28
46
48
211
212
1984-1992
1988-1996
0%
Source: NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress
Ages 13-17 growth
Ages 9-13 growth
Age 9 score
Hormones?
Students in Other
Countries Gain far More
in Middle and High School
TIMSS
Nations' Average Science Performance
Compared with the U.S.
100%
50%
0%
Grade 4
Grade 8
Grade 12
Nations scoring higher than the U.S.
Nations scoring the same as the U.S.
Nations scoring below the U.S.
Source: NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
Nations' Average Mathematics
Performance Compared with the U.S.
100%
50%
0%
Grade 4
Grade 8
Grade 12
Nations' scoring higher than the U.S.
Nations scoring the same as the U.S.
Nations scoring below the U.S.
Source: NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
PISA
US 15 Year-Olds Rank Near
Middle Of The Pack Among 32
Participating Countries
U.S. RANK
READING
MATH
SCIENCE
15TH
19TH
14TH
One measure on which we
rank high?
Inequality!
Performance Of U.S.
15 Year-Olds Highly Variable
th
th
Reading (interpreting text)
Mathematical Literacy
Science Literacy
PISA 5 –95
Gap Rank*
3
6 (tie)
7
*Of 27 OECD countries
Source: OECD, Knowledge and Skills for Life: First Results From PISA 2000, 2001.
Of course, these gaps evident
when children arrive at school.
By Race, Ethnicity NAEP
4th Grade Reading 2003
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
12
27
14
16
39
29
37
31
Prof/Adv
Basic
61
57
35
32
26
31
53
Black Latino Native White
Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Asian
Below Basic
But they grow wider the longer
students remain in school.
By end of high school?
African American and Latino
17 Year Olds Do Math at Same
Levels As White 13 Year Olds
100%
0%
200
250
300
350
White 8th Graders
African American 12th Graders
Latino 12th Graders
Source: NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables (online)
African American and Latino 17
Year Olds Read at Same Levels
as White 13 Year Olds
100%
0%
150
White 8th Graders
Latino 12th Graders
200
250
300
350
African American 12th Graders
Source: Source: NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables (online)
And these are the students
who remain in school.
Students Graduate From High School
At Different Rates, 2001
100%
79%
52%
51%
0%
African American
72%
Asian
Latino
54%
Native American
White
Source: Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, “Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates
in the United States,” Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, September 2003.
Louisiana?
Over Past Decade, State Among
the Biggest Gainers in Student
Achievement in Elementary,
Middle Grades
NAEP 4th Grade Math: LA
(1992-2003)
240
230
220
210
Black
White
200
190
180
170
160
1992
1996
2000
2003
NAEP 8th Grade Math: LA
(1992-2003)
300
290
280
270
Black
White
260
250
240
230
220
1992
1996
2000
2003
LA: NAEP Grade 4 Math Over Last
Decade
• LA students made third biggest
growth in country;
• Growth for Whites and Blacks
exceeded national growth;
• In 2003, performance of each group
of students not much different than
national average.
LA: NAEP Grade 8 Math Over Last
Decade
• Second in growth overall;
• Fourth in growth for black
students;
• Second in growth for white
students;
NAEP READING OVER
DECADE: LA 4th Graders
• Growth for white students tied for
ninth nationally;
• Achievement for black students
flat.
2000-2003
States with Biggest Gains for
African American 8th Graders
(NAEP 2003 Math*)
+6
United States
Louisiana and Virginia
+10
South Carolina
+9
Mississippi, Texas and
District of Columbia
+8
* Gains Between 2000 and 2003
Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
2000-3
States with Biggest Gains for
Poor 8th Graders
(NAEP Math*)
+3
United States
South Carolina
+11
Louisiana and Mississippi
+10
Connecticut and
California
* Gains Between 2000 and 2003
Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
+9
Yet Big Challenges Remain
LA By Race, Ethnicity
NAEP 4th Grade Reading 2003
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
8
22
33
Prof/Adv
37
70
30
Black
White
Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Basic
Below Basic
LA By Race, Ethnicity
NAEP 8th Grade Math 2003
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
5
31
28
Prof/Adv
47
64
25
Black
White
Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Basic
Below Basic
High School and Beyond?
Upper Level Course Taking: LA vs.
Top States
LA
TOP
States
8th Graders Taking
Algebra
4%
35%
9-12th Graders Taking at
Least One Upper Level
Math Course
9-12th Graders Taking at
Least One Upper Level
Science Course
49%
59%
24%
41%
LA: Enrollment in AP
K-12
AP
Enrollment Calculus
AP
English
AP
Biology
Black
48%
13%
17%
12%
White
49%
73%
65%
68%
Louisiana: 9th Graders Who
Graduate with a Diploma 4 Years
Later
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
89
74
76
62
54
Black
Latino
White
Native
Asian
Education Pipeline in LA
K-12
2-Year
Colleges
4-Year
Colleges
Black
48%
34%
27%
White
49%
57%
61%
Inevitable?
What Most Educators Say:
•
•
•
•
•
They’re poor;
Their parents don’t care;
They come to schools without breakfast;
Not enough books
Not enough parents . . .
Hambrick Middle School,
Aldine, TX
• 94% African American and Latino (state =
56%)
• 85% low-income (state = 50%)
• Has performed in the top fifth of all Texas
middle schools in both reading and math
in both 7th and 8th grades over a 3-year
period.
Prince Edward County High,
Farmville VA
Passing state Algebra I test
(715 students – 55% African American and Latino)
100%
92%
75%
50%
74%
71%
2000
2001
78%
44%
40%
25%
12%
0%
1998
1999
Prince Edward High
2002
State Average
Sources: Virginia Department of Education Web site, http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/2002SOLpassrates.html.
Norview High School
Norfolk, VA
Norview High School
• 67% African American
• 28% White
• 2% Latino
• 45% Low-Income
• Outperformed the state and district in math
and reading in 2003
High Achievement at Norview
% Proficient and Above
High School Math, 2003
100%
90%
80%
75%
75%
50%
25%
0%
State
District
Source: The Department of Education, http://www.schoolresults.org/
School
% Proficient and Above
High Achievement at Norview
96%
100%
86%
88%
93% 93% 91%
75%
50%
25%
0%
Math 2004
African American
Source: The Department of Education, http://www.schoolresults.org/
Reading 2004
White
Low-Income
% Class of 2003 passing MCAS high
school exit exam
MA: Passing HS Competency
Exam
100%
75%
77%
50%
25%
37%
29%
0%
10th
Grade
2nd
Attempt
Latino
3rd
Attempt
African American
Source: Massachusetts Department of Education Web site.
4th
Attempt
White
Final Pass
Rate
% Class of 2003 passing MCAS high
school exit exam
MA: Narrowing the High School
Competency Gap
100%
75%
97%
86%
83%
77%
50%
25%
37%
29%
0%
10th
Grade
2nd
Attempt
Latino
3rd
Attempt
African American
Source: Massachusetts Department of Education Web site.
4th
Attempt
White
Final Pass
Rate
% Class of 2003 passing MCAS high
school exit exam
MA: Narrowing the High School
Competency Gap
100%
75%
77%
50%
25%
0%
30%
7%
10th
Grade
LEP
2nd
Attempt
3rd
Attempt
Students with Disabilities
Source: Massachusetts Department of Education Web site.
4th
Attempt
Final Pass
Rate
Regular Education
% Class of 2003 passing MCAS high
school exit exam
MA: Narrowing the High School
Competency Gap
100%
75%
97%
80%
82%
77%
50%
25%
0%
30%
7%
10th
Grade
LEP
2nd
Attempt
3rd
Attempt
Students with Disabilities
Source: Massachusetts Department of Education Web site.
4th
Attempt
Final Pass
Rate
Regular Education
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Five questions to help frame
improvement efforts.
#1. Can we agree on a single,
overarching goal for high
school that will give clearer
purpose, focus to our reform
efforts?
KIDS AND PARENTS ARE
CLEAR:
THEIR GOAL IS COLLEGE
Percent
100%
94%
96%
Students
Parents
50%
0%
Source: U.S. DOE, NCES, Getting Ready to Pay for College: What Students and Their Parents Know About the Cost of
College Tuition and What They Are Doing to Find Out, September 2003.
Indeed, Most High School Grads
Do Go On To Postsecondary
Within 2 Years
Entered Public 2-Year
Colleges
Entered 4-Year Colleges
Other Postsecondary
Total
26%
45%
4%
75%
Source: NELS: 88, Second (1992) and Third (1994) Follow up; in, USDOE, NCES, “Access to
Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School Graduates”, 1998, Table 2.
That’s Good, Because Education Pays:
Annual Earnings of 25-34
yr-olds by Attainment, 2001
$70,000
$60,000
49011
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
27831
29663
34259
36135
$20,000
$10,000
HS, no
diploma
HS diploma Some coll,
no deg
Assoc deg
BA/BA
Source: US bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March 2002
But Many of Those College
Freshmen Not Prepared…and Do
Not Return for Sophomore Year
4 year Colleges
26%
2 year Colleges
45%
Source: Tom Mortensen, Postsecondary Opportunity, No. 89, November 1999
Why? At Least In Part Because
Their Teachers Had Other Ideas
About Their Plans
60
50
51
40
30
28
20
10
0
Teachers
Expectations of
Their Students
2 or 4 yr college
work
To break through these old
attitudes, cannot equivocate.
ALL students must graduate from
high school ready for
postsecondary education.
#2. It is increasingly clear that
student success--in college, on
assessments, and in gaining
access to decent jobs-depends on completing a
rigorous, college prep-level
curriculum.
Transcript Study: single biggest
predictor of college success is
QUALITY AND INTENSITY OF
HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S. Department of
Education.
But college prep curriculum
has benefits far beyond
college.
Students of all sorts will learn
more...
Low Quartile Students Gain
More From College Prep
Courses*
28
NELS Score Gain
30
20
19
16
0
Math
Reading
Vocational
College Prep
*Grade 8-grade 12 test score gains based on 8th grade achievement.
Source: USDOE, NCES, Vocational Education in the United States: Toward the Year 2000, in Issue Brief:
Students Who Prepare for College and Vocation
MATH ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS BY
GRADE 8 PERFORMANCE
100
80
Low
60
Medium
40
High
20
0
In Very Basic
Course
In Regular
Course
In advanced
Course
Source: Maureen Hallinan, “Ability Grouping and Student Learning,” May, 2002
They will also fail less often...
Challenging Curriculum Results in Lower Failure Rates,
Even for Lowest Achievers
Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low level
course, and eighth-grade reading achievement quartiles
47
Percent Earning "D" or "F"
50
31
23
16
0
Quartile I (Lowest)
College Prep
Quartile 2
Low Level
Source: SREB, “Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link”. Unpublished Draft, 2002.
And they’ll be better prepared
for the workplace.
Requirements for
Tool and Die Makers
• Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
postsecondary training;
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and
statistics;
• Average earnings: $40,000 per year.
Requirements for
Sheet Metal Workers
• Four or five years of apprenticeship;
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and
technical reading;
Time for a Default
Curriculum?
Texas
Indiana
#3. Shouldn’t we stop leaving
teachers on their own to
decide what and how to teach
in “college prep” courses?
Students can do
no better than
the assignments
they are given...
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
A frequent theme in literature is the
conflict between the individual and
society. From literature you have read,
select a character who struggled with
society. In a well-developed essay,
identify the character and explain why
this character’s conflict with society is
important.
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
Write a composition of at least 4
paragraphs on Martin Luther
King’s most important
contribution to this society.
Illustrate your work with a neat
cover page. Neatness counts.
High Performing Schools and
Districts
• Have clear and specific goals for what students
should learn in every grade, including the order
in which they should learn it;
• Provide teachers with common curriculum,
assignments;
• Assess students every 4-8 weeks to measure
progress;
• ACT immediately on the results of those
assessments.
#4. How can we provide extra
instruction for students who
arrive behind?
When Kids Are Behind, Schools
Must Provide More Instruction
and Support:
• Kentucky provides extra time for struggling
students in high-poverty schools
• Maryland offers extra dollars for 7th and 8th
graders who need more support
• Massachusetts and Ohio provide extra tutoring,
instruction for students not perform
Most of us think of
semester- or year-long
increments to teach kids
what they need to learn,
but...
The Full Year Calendar
Less Summer Vacation
Less Weekends, Holidays, & Summer Vacation
Less Professional Development Days & Early Dismissal/Parent
Conferences
Less Class Picnic, Class Trip, Thanksgiving Feast, Christmas, Kwanzaa,
Hannukkah, Awards, Assembles, & Concerts
Less State and District Testing
Bottom Line:
Roughly 13-15 Eight-Hour
Days
Per Subject
Per Year
#5. How Can We Organize
Schools in Pursuit of Different
Outcomes
It’s easy to fall into a pattern of
blaming poor results on problems
“beyond our control.”
For example, high 9th grade failure
rates generally blamed on poor
preparation, difficult transitions.
But…
One Colorado High School:
Student/Teacher Ratio by Grade
Grade
9th
10th
11th
12th
Average number of
students per teacher
30.3
16.7
11.6
12.1
Source: Jovenes Unidos & Padres Unidos; March, 2004.
Same Colorado High School:
Counselor Deployment by Grade
Grade
9th
10th
11th
12th
Number of
Counselors
1
1
1
1
Number of
Students
572
366
309
213
Source: Jovenes Unidos and Padres Unidos; March, 2004
Likewise, large achievement
gaps at exit…typically blamed on
large achievement gaps at entry.
But…
Poor kids and kids of color get
less than their fair share of
experienced and well educated
teachers.
Classes in High Poverty High Schools
More Often Taught by Misassigned*
Teachers
50%
40%
31%
28%
20%
14%
19%
16% 18%
0%
Math
Science
less than 20% Free Lunch
*Teachers who lack a major or minor in the field
English
Social Studies
greater than 49% Free Lunch
Source: National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future (p.16) 1996.
Math and Science Classes of Mostly
Minority Students Are More Often Taught
by Misassigned Teachers
100%
86%
69%
54%
42%
0%
90-100% Non-White
Certified in Field
90-100% White
BA or BS in Field
Source: Jeannie Oakes. Multiplying Inequalities: The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking on Opportunities to Learn
Mathematics and Science (Rand: 1990)
Poor and Minority Students Get
More Inexperienced* Teachers
25%
21%
20%
11%
10%
0%
High-poverty schools
Low-poverty schools
High-minority schools
Low-minority schools
*Teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience. “High” and “low” refer to top and bottom quartiles.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, “Monitoring Quality: An Indicators Report,” December 2000.
Even Within Schools,
Often Big Differences
One PA High School
• Joint analysis conducted by teachers and Ed
Trust staff showed how best educated and most
experienced teachers were teaching high end
students, with mostly brand new and
undereducated teachers teaching struggling
students.
• Moreover, school created master schedule that
made that imbalance even worse.
PA HS Master Schedule: Regular Team Sample
PA HS Master Schedule: Pre-IB Team Sample
PA HS Master Schedule: 11-12 IB/AP Teacher
Sample
In other words, the choices we
make either exacerbate—or
ameliorate—achievement gaps.
The Education Trust
Download this Presentation At
www.edtrust.org
Washington, DC: 202-293-1217
Oakland, CA: 510-465-6444