Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 8, 1990 TAG: 9006080846
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, popularly known as the Nation's Report Card, said few pupils in grades four, eight and 12 have actually mastered reading and writing, mainly because most parents don't work with them at home and few teachers require much reading or writing in class or for homework.
Even more troubling are the wide gaps in achievement between whites and minorities, said Roy Truby, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board.
The average assessment on the writing test for 12th-grade blacks is only slightly better than the average for fourth-grade whites; Hispanics are nearly as low.
On the reading exam, on the other hand, which was primarily multiple-choice, the average black or Hispanic 12th grader performed at about the same level as the average for eighth-grade whites. This has been the pattern in many previous exams.
"No student should be allowed to go through the education system without mastering the essential skills of reading and writing," said Teens threatened by pregnancies, drugs and violence. A2 Christopher Cross of the Education Department, which released the study.
"The data underscore the urgent need for parents and teachers to foster essential literacy skills through daily practice," Cross said.
Key results were:
The average reading proficiency of schoolchildren increased substantially from grade four to grade eight, and somewhat less dramatically between grades eight and 12. In general, students appeared to have great difficulty with explaining what they had read, but less difficulty with questions asking about overall meaning and specific details.
Pupils reported doing very little reading in school and for homework. At all three grade levels assessed, 47 percent to 61 percent reported reading 10 or fewer pages each day for schoolwork across the curriculum.
Sixty-nine percent of the fourth-graders reported watching three hours or more of television each day, while less than half, 46 percent, reported reading for pleasure on a daily basis.
About one-third of the eighth and 12th graders reported that they never discuss reading at home. These students had significantly lower reading proficiency.
Eighth-grade English teachers reported that 45 percent of their students wrote papers of a paragraph or two weekly, and only 14 percent wrote a one- or two-page paper each week. Only 6 percent wrote papers of three or more pages each week.
Truby said the 1988 assessment data released Thursday was based on different tests from those reported earlier for measuring trends. The writing assessment gave students more time to write out some of their responses - up to 30 minutes in some cases, instead of the previous 15-minute limit.
Truby said the longer format in the writing test raised the average performance result for white students, but had little effect on the scores of blacks and Hispanics.
"As a result, the racial gap appears wider on the writing exam than on other NAEP assessments."
by CNB