Minnesota's kids really are above average

By Norman Draper and James Walsh, Star Tribune

Last update: September 25, 2007 - 11:20 PM

When it comes to math and reading, Minnesota students are way above the national average.

The state ranks in the top 10 for all four tests in the 2007 "nation's report card," otherwise known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Results released Tuesday show Minnesota ranks second nationwide for eighth-grade math, fifth for fourth-grade math, tied for sixth in eighth-grade reading and tied for ninth in fourth-grade reading.

Just as important, the tests also show that the state could be making progress in narrowing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. The gap between the percentages of black and white students who scored at least at the basic level in math closed from 36 to 30 percentage points in fourth grade and 48 to 38 percentage points in eighth grade. Achievement gaps in reading also narrowed.

Results for Hispanic students were more mixed, although there was a big improvement in fourth-grade math.

"I'm particularly pleased at the closing of that achievement gap for African-American and Hispanic children," said Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. "We're going to continue working on closing that achievement gap."

Results of the state's own tests over the past couple of years have shown only modest improvement in closing the achievement gap. Minnesota has historically shown one of the worst gaps in the nation between white and minority students.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress tests are the country's best measure of how states compare on student achievement. The math and reading tests are given every other year to fourth-graders and eighth-graders. Science tests are given in the intervening years.

Only Massachusetts did better than Minnesota on the eighth-grade math test.

Nationwide, test scores in all testing categories rose.

"I'm very pleased with the results overall," Seagren said of Minnesota's showing. "I think we're holding steady, but other states might be catching up to us. We're still ranking up there very high nationally."

This year the reading and math tests were given to 6,400 students at 275 Minnesota schools. The schools and students are chosen as a sample to represent the state as a whole. Too few students are tested at any school or district to make the results meaningful at the school or district level. It's the national comparisons that are statistically valid and make the tests meaningful.

"I would say this is sort of a general indicator of overall progress in the country," said David Heistad, executive director of research, evaluation and assessment for the Minneapolis School District.

In fact, the national tests are considered more difficult than statewide tests. For example, "proficient" on statewide tests generally means a student is performing at grade level. "Proficient" on the NAEP tests equates to about the 75th percentile on state tests.

Compared with 2005 results, Minnesota's math and reading results for fourth- and eighth-grade students changed little. Fourth-grade math results rose, from 47 percent scoring proficient or better in 2005 to 50 percent this year. Eighth-grade math results didn't change. As with this year, Minnesota math and reading results ranked near the head of the class nationwide in 2005.

For several years, Minnesota policymakers, including Seagren and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, have worried that state students aren't keeping pace with the rest of the world in such areas as math, science, engineering and technology.

"What we have to look at is our international concerns, too," Seagren said. "This is the nation's report card. We have to look beyond national standards and look at what is happening in other countries."

Money is being poured into more resources for math and science, including academies for teachers to help them learn more about those disciplines, and schools that are shifting their emphasis toward science, technology, engineering and mathmatics (STEM) studies.

Also, the state is gearing up for tougher math and science requirements, which will eventually require all graduating high-school students to have taken math at least through the Algebra II level, plus either chemistry or physics.

ndraper@startribune.com • 612-673-4547 jwalsh@startribune.com • 651-298-1541

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