August2014PolicyPoints-ASCD.pdfVIP

August 2014 EDUCATOR ADVOCATES Policy Points TEST SCORES ≠ ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ach time new national and international Eassessment results show that U.S. students Percent Change in NAEP Performance2, are performing at mediocre levels, dozens GDP3, and Productivity4 of education pundits make dire claims about the nation’s education system and economic competitiveness. In their view, the stagnant assessment scores foretell an impending economic decline and threaten the nation’s Although U.S. global competitiveness. A closer look at performance on assessment and economic data, however, show national reading that this is simply not the case. and math tests For example, the average scores of 17-year-old students has remained taking the National Assessment for Educational Progress stagnant, our gross (NAEP) long-term trend reading and math tests have domestic product remained within a 10-point span since the tests were first administered in 1971 and 1978, respectively, yet the nation’s (GDP) per capita productivity and gross domestic product (GDP) have steadily and manufacturing increased over the same period. Internationally, U.S. students productivity have rank below the top-scoring countries on the Program for grown considerably. International Student Assessment (PISA) in reading and math. change Percent But international co