LIHUE — Hawaii students in grades four and eight are performing below the national average in math and reading, according to a nationwide study from The National Assessment of Educational Progress released this week. Nationwide, scores declined slightly from the
LIHUE — Hawaii students in grades four and eight are performing below the national average in math and reading, according to a nationwide study from The National Assessment of Educational Progress released this week.
Nationwide, scores declined slightly from the last time the study was conducted in 2013, and Hawaii scores followed the trend. This time around, however, instead of being above the national average like Hawaii was in 2013, the state’s scores dipped below the line.
“We were disappointed that this wasn’t a repeat year of our state’s 2013 positive NAEP results. However, our students’ gains over the last 10 years continue to be some of the highest in the nation reflecting the hard work and accomplishments of our educators and students,” said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “NAEP is one of the many measures we look at to assess progress. This single test score provides important information but does not tell the whole story about our state’s education progress.”
The Nation’s Report Card is an ongoing assessment of students all across America. It takes test scores from grades four, eight and 12, and measures their knowledge in eight different subjects including economics, civics, geography, science, U.S. history, and writing.
According to the data, fourth and eighth graders in Hawaii scored two points lower than the national average in math. There was no change in eighth grade math scores over the past year, but Hawaii’s fourth graders’ scores dropped five points.
Officials from the NAEP said Hawaii has made “significant gains as compared to other states” in the past 10 years.
The next time the report card will come out is in 2017 and until then, education officials are working toward raising scores nationwide.
“We don’t yet know if this is a trend downward,” said Peggy Carr, Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “We need to exercise caution until we see the results from the 2017 assessment.”
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Jessica Else, education reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
