high school achievement in america: what do we know?

HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT IN AMERICA:What Do We Know?

Iowa High School SummitThe 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

280

285

290

295

300

305

310

315

1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999

MathScience

Source: NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress.

In Reading, 12th Grade Achievement is Headed

Downward

HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT: READING AND WRITINGNAEP Long-Term Trends

250255260265270275280285290295300

1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

READINGWRITING

What about different groups of students?

Gaps Narrow 1970-88NAEP Reading 17 Year-Olds

200

300

1971 1975 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996Average Reading NAEP Score

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 1973-86NAEP Math Scores, 13 Year-Olds

200

220

240

260

280

300

1973 1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999

Average Scale Score



Between 1988-90, that progress came to a halt…and

gaps began to widen once again.

Gaps Narrow Then Mostly Widen Reading, 17 Year-Olds

NAEP Long-Term Trends

200

300

1971197519801984198819901992199419961999

Average Reading NAEP

Score



21 31


Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady or Widen: Math, 17 Year-Olds

NAEP Long-Term Trends

250

350

19731978 19821986 19901992 19941996 1999

Average Reading NAEP

Score


20 32

How much learning takes place at each level?

Students Make More Growth Grade 5 to 8

than Grade 9 to 12

Academic GrowthGrades 5-8, 9-12

48

58

44

2527

9

3438

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Reading Writing Math Science

Grade 5-8Grade 9-12

Value Added in High School Declined During

the Nineties

Value Added Declining in High School Math...

36 3634

2022242628303234363840

Math

Class of '90 Class of '94 Class of '96

Age 13-17 Growth

Source: NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress

…Still

33

29

2022242628303234363840

Math

Class of 96 Class of 00

Age 13-17 Growth

Source: Main NAEP 1996, 2000

Reading: Students Entering Better Prepared, But Leaving

Worse

Source: NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress

Total=290 Total=288

211 212

46 48

33 28

0%

100%

1984-1992 1988-1996

NAEP score and gains to age 17

Ages 13-17 growthAges 9-13 growthAge 9 score

Hormones?

Students in Other Countries Gain far More in

Middle and High School

Source: NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS

Nations' Average Science Performance Compared with the U.S.

0%

50%

100%

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.

0%

50%

100%

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.

US 15 Year-Olds Rank Near Middle Of The Pack Among 32

Participating Countries

U.S. RANKREADING15THMATH19THSCIENCE14TH

One measure on which we rank high?

Inequality!

Source: OECD, Knowledge and Skills for Life: First Results From PISA 2000, 2001.

*Of 27 OECD countries

Performance Of U.S.15 Year-Olds Highly Variable

PISA 5 th –95 thGap Rank*Reading (interpreting text)3Mathematical Literacy6 (tie)Science Literacy7

These gaps evident when children arrive at school.

By Race, Ethnicity NAEP 4th Grade Reading 2003

61 57 53

26 31

27 29 31

35 32

12 14 16

39 37

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Black Latino Native White Asian

Prof/Adv

Basic

Below Basic

Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

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

0%

100%

200 250 300 350

White 8th GradersAfrican American 12th GradersLatino 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

Source: Source: NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables (online)

0%

100%

150 200 250 300 350

White 8th Graders African American 12th Graders

Latino 12th Graders

And these are the students who remain in school.

Students Graduate From High School At Different Rates, 2001

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.

54%51%

79%

52%

72%

0%

100%

African American Asian Latino Native American White

IA By Race, Ethnicity NAEP 4th Grade Reading 2003

6652

26

26

31

36

917

38

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Black Latino White

Prof/Adv

Basic

Below Basic


IA By Race, Ethnicity NAEP 8th Grade Math 2003

58 56

20

31 34

44

11 10

36

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Black Latino White

Prof/Adv

Basic

Below Basic


White 8th Graders: NAEP Math

Latino 8th Graders: NAEP Math

Black 8th Graders? NAEP MATH

Low Income 8th Graders? NAEP MATH

Latinos: 8th Grade Reading

African Americans: 8th Grade Reading

High School and Beyond?

Upper Level Course Taking: IA vs. Top States

IA TOP States

8th Graders Taking Algebra

n/a 35%

9-12th Graders Taking at Least One Upper Level Math Course

50% 59%

9-12th Graders Taking at Least One Upper Level Science Course

39% 41%

Iowa ACT Score Trend

20.6

20.8

21

21.2

21.4

21.6

21.8

22

22.2

22.4

22.6

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

English

Math

Reading

Science

Iowa ACT Takers Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks, 2004

77

49

34

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

College English-18 College Algebra-22 College Biology-24

Percent of Iowa Students Taking ACT, 2004

66

40 40

6663

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

White Latino Black Asian Native

IOWA Promoting Power: 9th Graders Who Graduate with a

Diploma 4 Years Later

58

87 89

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Black White Asian

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

12%

44%

74%

92%

71% 78%

40%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Passing state Algebra I test

Prince Edward High State Average

Sources: Virginia Department of Education Web site, http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/2002SOLpassrates.html.

(715 students – 55% African American and Latino)

http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/2002SOLpassrates.html

Norview High SchoolNorfolk, VA

• 67% African American

• 28% White

• 2% Latino

• 45% Low-Income

• Outperformed the state and district in math and reading in 2003

High Achievement at NorviewHigh School Math, 2003

80%

90%

75%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

% Proficient and Above

State District School

Source: The Department of Education, http://www.schoolresults.org/

High Achievement at Norview

86%93%

88% 91%96% 93%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Math 2004 Reading 2004 % Proficient and Above

African AmericanWhite Low-Income

Source: The Department of Education, http://www.schoolresults.org/

MA: Passing HS Competency Exam

29%37%

77%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

10thGrade

2ndAttempt

3rdAttempt

4thAttempt

Final PassRate% Class of 2003 passing MCAS high

school exit exam

Latino African American White

Source: Massachusetts Department of Education Web site.

MA: Narrowing the High School Competency Gap

29%

83%86%

37%

77%

97%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

10thGrade

2ndAttempt

3rdAttempt

4thAttempt


school exit exam

Latino African American White



7%

30%

77%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

10thGrade

2ndAttempt

3rdAttempt

4thAttempt


school exit exam

LEP Students with Disabilities Regular Education



7%

82%80%

30%

77%

97%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

10thGrade

2ndAttempt

3rdAttempt

4thAttempt


school exit exam

LEP Students with Disabilities 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 COLLEGE96%94%

0%

50%

100%

Students Parents

Percent

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 YearsEntered Public 2 -Year Colleges

26%

Entered 4-Year Colleges 45%

Other Postsecondary 4%

Total 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.

Source: US bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March 2002

That’s Good, Because Education Pays:Annual Earnings of 25-34

yr-olds by Attainment, 2001

27831 2966334259 36135

49011

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

HS, nodiploma

HS diploma Some coll,no deg

Assoc deg BA/BA

But Many of Those College Freshmen Not Prepared…and Do Not Return for Sophomore Year

4 year Colleges26%2 year Colleges45%

Source: Tom Mortensen, Postsecondary Opportunity, No. 89, November 1999

Why? At Least In Part Because Their Teachers Had Other Ideas

About Their Plans51

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

TeachersExpectations ofTheir Students

2 or 4 yr collegework

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...

Source: USDOE, NCES, Vocational Education in the United States: Toward the Year 2000, in Issue Brief: Students Who Prepare for College and Vocation

*Grade 8-grade 12 test score gains based on 8th grade achievement.

Low Quartile Students Gain More From College Prep

Courses*

1916

28

20

0

30

Math Reading

NELS Score Gain

Vocational College Prep

MATH ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS BY GRADE 8 PERFORMANCE

0

20

40

60

80

100

In Very Basic

Course

In Regular

Course

In advanced

Course

Low

Medium

High

Source: Maureen Hallinan, “Ability Grouping and Student Learning,” May, 2002

Iowa Students: Course-Taking and ACT Performance, Math 2004

17.419.1

21.8

25.6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

<3 Years Alg I,II,Geometry

Plus Trig Plus Calculus

Iowa Students: Course-Taking and ACT Performance, Science 2004

19.721.2

24.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

<3 Years Gen Sci, Bio, Chem Bio, Chem, Physics

They will also fail less often...

Challenging Curriculum Results in Lower Failure Rates, Even for Lowest Achievers

16

23

47

31

0

50

Quartile I (Lowest) Quartile 2Percent Earning "D" or "F"

College Prep Low Level

Source: SREB, “Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link”. Unpublished Draft, 2002.

Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low level course, and eighth-grade reading achievement quartiles

And they’ll be better prepared for the workplace.

Requirements forTool 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 forSheet 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 AssignmentWrite 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

28%

14%19%

16%

40%

20%

31%

18%

0%

50%

Math Science English Social Studies

less than 20% Free Lunch greater than 49% Free Lunch

*Teachers who lack a major or minor in the fieldSource: 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

54%

86%

42%

69%

0%

100%

90-100% Non-White 90-100% White

Certified in Field 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

20%

11%

21%

10%

0%

25%

High-poverty schoolsLow-poverty schools

High-minority schoolsLow-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

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

high school achievement in america: what do we know?

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