How Educated Are We - Children's Math Skills

In this panel we turn to mathematics. The chart shows test scores of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 17-year-olds from 1973 to 2000. Students did not perform well enough to be considered proficient in mathematics over this time period. In fact, from 1999 to 2000, scores declined. Scores had been increasing for the 17 years before 1999.

White students consistently scored higher than did African American and Hispanic students. Except for 1990, Hispanic students scored higher than did black students did. Hispanic students' scores also rose 16 points from 1982-1999: 16 points. Black students' scores rose 11.5 points. White students' scores rose 11.1 points. Unfortunately, Hispanic students' scores also declined the most, 9.7 points, from 1999 to 2000. Black students' scores followed with a drop of 9.3 points. White students' scores dropped 6.8 points.

Hispanic students scored within the "basic" mathematics proficiency level¹¹ for the first time in 1992 and scores stayed there until 2000, when they slipped to "below basic" proficiency level. Black students scored within the "basic" level in 1990; however, this was the only time their scores have been at this level. Since then, the average black students' score has fallen into the "below basic" range.

What do these scores mean in a nonacademic setting? According to the NAEP, the average 17-year-old student is able to determine the cost of renting a car given the per day and mileage charges. However, he would not be able to calculate the distance between two cities on a map.

Average Student Mathematics Proficiency Scores for 13-Year-Olds, 1973-2000

What about those students preparing to enter high school? The next chart shows the NAEP average test scores for 13-year-olds. Again, students have not been able to achieve mathematics proficiency according to the NAEP. But 13-year-olds are faring better than 17-year-olds. In 2000, the average score for a 13-year-old was 24 points below what is needed for a "proficient" rating. Seventeen-year-olds scored 35 points below this level. Overall, students scored in the "basic" proficiency range. Black and Hispanic students' scores never reached this level. They have consistently scored within the "below basic" range throughout this time period.

What does this mean? The overall score for the year 2000 was 275. According to the NAEP, this means that the average 13-year-old was able to calculate how many of a certain item he could buy at a given amount, but he was unable to determine how much change he would be owed.

Despite the changes brought about in the 19 years since A Nation At Risk was published, NAEP mathematics scores have not improved to a level envisioned by the National Commission on Education. In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This law mandates changes in the educational system: from funding expenditures for qualified teachers and community learning centers, to implementation of research-based teaching methods, to standardized testing for accountability. Will these mandates improve the education of our 46.8 million public school children?

The next panel will look at how the children of the United States rank internationally in reading.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2001 and The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2000. "President Bush Signs Landmark Education Reforms Into Law." Online. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov. April 16, 2002. "The Facts About…21st Century Learning." Online. Available: http://www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov., April 16, 2002. "NAEP Mathematics - Grade 12 Item Map" and "NAEP Mathematics - Grade 8 Item Map." Online. Available: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/mathematics. April 12, 2002.