Nation's report card results show some Iowa education gains, needs

DES MOINES – Iowa's student results on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress report card show some gains in math and reading since 2011, but state education officials said Thursday the scores also indicate that schools continue to face challenges to address long-term stagnation statewide.

“We see some bright spots in today's results, but they largely underscore the need to continue pushing forward with our education priorities,” Brad Buck, director of the Iowa Department of Education, said in a statement.

The 2013 NAEP results for Iowa show small growth from 2011 in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and fourth-grade math. The long-term trend remains flat in reading at both grade levels, with small growth in math.

The latest NAEP results also show no single demographic group stands out for Iowa's relative stagnation. White students, who make up 81 percent of Iowa's student population, are behind their white peers nationally across all tested grade levels and subject areas.

Significant gaps in achievement also remain for black and Hispanic students, students who do not speak English as their native language, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities.

Overall, Iowa's average reading score for fourth-grade students (224) was higher than the state's score in 2011 (221), but was not significantly different from the state's score in 1992 (225).

Also, Iowa's average reading score for eighth-grade students (269) was higher than that of 2011 (265), but was not significantly different from that of 2003 (268). The overall results also show that Iowa's average math score for fourth-grade students (246) was higher than that of 2011 (243) and higher than that of 1992 (230).

Iowa's scores in those categories were higher than that of the nation's public schools.

Iowa's average math score for eighth-grade students (285) was not significantly different from that of 2011 (285) and higher than that of 1990 (278). That score also was not significantly different from that of nation's public schools.

Buck said the findings also showed:

• In fourth-grade reading, the gap in achievement between students in Iowa with and without disabilities is the worst in the nation;
• The gap in achievement has narrowed for Iowa's Hispanic students across the board. Hispanic students also outperformed their national counterparts in fourth-grade reading and math;
• The gap in achievement for Iowa students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals has widened in every area except eighth-grade math, which has not changed significantly over the long term;
• The nation outperformed Iowa's white students in both grade levels and subject areas.

Buck said Iowa has charted the right path with recent state efforts to support and strengthen teaching, raise standards and expectations, and work to improve literacy.

Iowa has participated in NAEP assessments, known as the nation's report card, since they were first administered in 1990. NAEP offers the only state-by-state comparison of student progress. The assessments are administered to about 3,000 students in 100 schools in Iowa and other states for each grade and subject -- a large enough sample to draw valid inferences about Iowa's population in comparison to other states, according to state education officials.

For more information about NAEP, visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

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