National Assessment of Educational Progress—also known as the “Nation’s Report Card”
What NAEP reveals to the world, as reported by Big Media: Roughly 50% of U.S. students graduate without reaching minimum NAEP proficiency in reading, writing, or math.
Actually, the 50% figure applies to K–12 overall. For K-12 graduates, it’s much worse.
- K-12 graduates proficient in reading: 24%
- K-12 graduates proficient in math: 37%
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The paradox: NAEP is a useful tool for HSe4Metrics.
By introducing the NAEP Act, Congress may have been guided by the old adage: “What gets measured gets fixed.”
Although this principle has failed disastrously in the case of NAEP for decades, the assessments hold significant potential as a tool for validating the effectiveness of the HSe4Metrics platform. Once the free-access HSe4Metrics platform is launched, NAEP can help measure potentially dramatic improvements in K–12 student performance.
Within the HSe4Metrics platform, real-time feedback supports cumulative gains year after year—a trend also confirmed by NAEP results. Equally important, this internal feedback offers an immediate early warning of stagnation or decline.
"Bordering on Criminal," "A Cruel Handicap," "A Gut Punch to the Nation"
When NAEP results are published (every two years), Big Media has a field day.
NAEP results are a “gut punch” not only to the unfortunate 50% of students, but also to the United States—its workforce, teachers, and parents alike.
NAEP findings are often viewed as a proxy for the performance of K–12 students in America’s schools—and, incorrectly in the view of HSe4Metrics, as a proxy for the ability of the K–12 system itself.
NAEP basics
NAEP (rhymes with cape) is a 1969 Congressional Act—the National Assessment of Educational Progress. It is often referred to by Big Media as the “nation’s report card.” As its name suggests, NAEP is an assessment. Every two years, test questions are administered to a sample of students across the U.S. in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades.
External link to the National Assessment Governing Board: nagb.gov
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