The latest edition of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” released on April 27, indicated that only 37 percent of American high-school seniors were academically prepared for college-level math and reading in 2015.
The NEAP report recorded a drop in reading scores from 288 in 2013 to 287 in 2015, and is down five points since 1992. The mathematics score fell to 152 last year from 153 in 2013, reported Reuters.
The percentage of students performing at or above proficiency dropped to 25 percent in math and to 37 percent in reading — a drop of one percent since 2013.
Conversely, the percentage who fell below the basic level of proficiency last year rose to 38 percent in mathematics and to 28 percent in reading, both increasing by three points.
Reuters reported that the math assessment measures students’ skills and ability to apply knowledge to problem solving. The reading comprehension portion of the test asks students to answer questions based on materials they have read.
An article about the findings in the Wall Street Journal cited Bill Bushaw, the executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees the test. Bushaw said that although the board was pleased that high-school graduation rates were rising, they were disappointed in the lack of progress in boosting students’ skills and knowledge.
“These numbers aren’t going the way we want,” he said. “We just have to redouble our efforts to prepare our students to close opportunity gaps.”
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