Author Name: ProPublica
This story was originally published by ProPublica. [1]

2019 NAEP Report Card Analysis
Date: 07, 2021

Southern Analysis

Compared to the rest of the nation, a majority of Southern states continue to struggle with providing children with a quality public education. NAEP data from 2017 paints a bleak picture of fourth and eighth grade Reading and Math outcomes for students across the South. While the average fourth grade Reading score in 2017 for all public school students nationwide was 221, 10 out of 17, or 59% of Southern states, were below the national average for fourth grade Reading in 2017. Much more alarmingly, while the average eighth grade Math score in 2017 for all public school students nationwide was 282, 14 out of 17, or 82% of Southern states, were below the national average for eighth grade Math in 2017.

2019 data portray an equally grim state of affairs for Southern schools. While the average fourth grade Reading score in 2019 for all public school students nationwide was 219, 10 out of 17, or 59% of Southern states, were below the national average for fourth grade Reading in 2019. Similarly, while the average eighth grade Math score in 2019 for all public school students nationwide was 281, 14 out of 17, or 82% of Southern states, were below the national average for eighth grade Math in 2019.

The Racial and Socioeconomic Opportunity Gap in the South

Southern schools continue to recover from a legacy of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic segregation, and Math and Reading assessment data reflect the quantitative manifestations of this continued struggle. SEF’s independent analysis found that on average, African American students in all 17 Southern states scored 25 points lower on the 2019 NAEP fourth grade Reading assessment than their White peers. The greatest fourth grade Reading score disparity between White and African American students was present in South Carolina, where White students scored 30 points higher (229) than African American students (199). The smallest score fourth grade Reading score disparity between White and African American students was present in West Virginia, where White students (214) scored 14 points higher than African American students (200). States where the gap between White students and African American students appears to be growing larger are Alabama, Delaware, and Kentucky, where African American students’ scores are dropping while White students’ scores are either staying the same or rising. In Mississippi, however, the gap appears to be shrinking, as the average score for African American students (209) rose between 2017 and 2019 while White students remained at the same level.

Eighth grade Math results from 2019 are more troubling from an equity standpoint. SEF’s independent analysis of NAEP data found that on average, African American students in all 17 Southern states scored 28.6 points lower on the 2019 NAEP eighth grade Math assessment than their White peers. The most pronounced disparity in Math scores between White and African American eighth graders was in Maryland, where African American students scored 39 points lower (261) than their White peers (300). Again, the smallest gap between White and African American students was in West Virginia, where the difference in average eighth grade Math scores between the two groups was 12 points (273 for White students, versus 261 for African American students). The racial achievement gap in eighth grade Math scores appears to be increasing in Louisiana, where White students’ average scores improved between 2017 and 2019 while African American students’ scores remained the same.

In the vast majority of Southern states, students from low-income families do not fare much better in Math or Reading assessments. SEF’s independent analysis found that NSLP-eligible fourth graders scored, on average, 26 points lower on the Reading assessment than their NSLP-ineligible peers. Eligible and ineligible fourth graders posted lower Reading scores in 2019 than in 2017 in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia. The disparity between each socioeconomic group widened in Georgia, as NSLP-ineligible students posted gains while NSLP-eligible students posted lower scores. Overall, fourth graders in Georgia experienced the largest gap, with NSLP-eligible fourth graders scoring 33 points lower than their higher income peers on the NAEP Reading assessment (207 versus 240, respectively).

SEF’s analysis also found that similar disparities exist in eighth grade Math assessment scores. On this particular assessment, students who are NSLP-eligible scored 27 points lower than their more affluent peers among all Southern states. Particularly concerning were results from Georgia and Maryland, where low-income students scored 35 points lower than middle- and high-income students on the eighth grade Math assessment. In Arkansas, the gap between the two groups grew between 2017 and 2019, while in West Virginia, both groups’ scores fell during that same period. Scores increased across the board in Mississippi, and NSLP-eligible students remained stagnant in Louisiana while NSLP-ineligible students posted gains.

Bright Spots in the South

While many states across the South saw slides or stagnation in students’ scores, some states posted encouraging results that could qualify as a success story borne out of more responsive instructional practices and policy decisions. Fourth grade reading scores dropped in all states nationwide and in the South, with one notable exception. In Mississippi, 2019 NAEP data revealed that students are making big gains in both reading and math. Mississippi was the only state to make significant improvements on the fourth grade Reading assessment, putting their students at the national average despite the state’s disproportionately high poverty rate and pervasive opportunity gaps. In an illuminating story from American Public Media, reporters revealed that Mississippi is the only state that is making a serious effort to teach educators the science behind how children gain literacy skills – a practice that other states have been reluctant to adopt. By spending millions of dollars in professional development for teachers, Mississippi has positioned their educators to lead 21st century classrooms and deliver the type of high-quality instruction necessary for students to demonstrate measurable growth.

The state’s deliberate effort to prepare its teachers adequately may also be paying dividends in closing the racial achievement gap; while white students in Mississippi continue to score higher than African American and Hispanic students, the gap shrunk in the fourth grade Math and Reading and eighth grade Reading assessments. Additionally, African American and Hispanic fourth graders in Mississippi outperformed their peers nationally in both tested subject areas. On average, NSLP-ineligible African American students in Mississippi outscored their peers nationwide by 22 points, while NSLP-eligible Hispanic students bested their peers nationwide by 15 points.

Mississippi’s western neighbor Louisiana also experienced noticeable growth, albeit in the category of eighth grade Math. The state’s gains in this area are the nation’s most pronounced, and put Louisiana closer to reaching the national average in the Grade 8 Math assessment. Louisiana’s African American students also outperformed African American students nationally in eighth grade Reading and Math and fourth grade Math. Tennessee’s results, while relatively stagnant, remain consistent with the national average in both subject areas and place the state toward the top of the field when compared to its Southern neighbors.

[1] Url: https://www.southerneducation.org/resources/2019naep/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.