U.S. Students Make Gains in Math Scores

Results on Global Tests Likely to Fuel Debate on Standards; Asian Nations Still Top Lists

“Two states, Massachusetts and Minnesota, sought to have their schools’ test results broken out separately. Both reported results outpacing the rest of the nation. In the most impressive showing, Massachusetts fourth-graders scored roughly as well as those in high-performing Taiwan and Japan …

Mitchell Chester, Massachusetts commissioner of education, said the state in the early 1990s developed new assessments and standards that, as in Minnesota, stressed the mastery of math facts and algebra. But Mr. Chester also pointed out that under NCLB, about half of Massachusetts’ schools are failing to meet annual progress goals. He says Congress should give states incentives to have more rigorous standards, recognizing that such an approach may make it tougher for students to meet NCLB requirements. Senate aides said such an approach is now under consideration.

Parents in Massachusetts and Minnesota are wealthier and more highly educated than the U.S. averages, advantages that traditionally translate into higher scores. But Massachusetts officials point to success in classrooms such as those of Arthur T. Talmadge Elementary School in Springfield. The school has reported some of the highest math scores on state tests, despite a school population in which three-quarters of the students are classified as low-income.

Elizabeth Crowley, the school’s principal, says 271-student Talmadge has instituted a before-school tutoring program that draws 76 kids in third and fourth grades. Talmadge also has a longer school day than many in the state, including 90-minute daily blocks of math and half an hour of nightly fourth-grade math homework. “It’s about high expectations and following through,” Ms. Crowley said. “We’re pretty demanding. We teach them and expect them to do the work and stick with it until they grasp the concept.”

Newton MCAS math scores are here.

SCHOOL-BY-SCHOOL RESULTS

The full article is here from CNN.