A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                            Contact:  Melinda Kitchell    April 27, 1995                                     (202) 401-1008

Riley "Disappointed" by Latest Reading Assessment

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said today he is "disappointed by the lack of improvement" reported in a test of reading skills that show little change in reading comprehension and understanding among U.S. 4th and 8th graders between 1992 and 1994.

"These preliminary findings indicate we have a long way to go to equip our students with the tools they will need for success in the next century," Riley said.

The 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading: A First Look, from the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, highlights the reading proficiency of 4th, 8th and 12th graders nationally, and average scores for 4th graders in 41 participating states and jurisdictions. The full NAEP Reading Report Card, with additional findings on home and school factors that may contribute to academic achievement, will be released later this year.

The assessment reports a slight decline in reading skills among 12th graders, consistent among white, black and Hispanic students, public and nonpublic school students, girls and boys, and all but the Southeast region of the country. The scores of Hispanic 4th graders also declined slightly.

"Too many students are spending too little time reading and too much time watching mind-numbing television," Riley said. "We need to reemphasize basic reading skills, both in the classroom and at home, while at the same time building on these fundamentals to enhance comprehension and critical analytical skills."

Among participating states, the highest reading proficiency was found in Maine, North Dakota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut and Montana. Declines in reading proficiency were found in ten states: Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.

The new report finds a quarter of 4th graders, slightly more 8th graders, and more than a third of 12th graders to be "proficient" (solid academic performance) readers. Across all three grades, fewer than 5 percent reached the "advanced" (superior performance) level, and at least 30 percent at each grade level failed to reach the "basic" (partial mastery) level. The achievement levels are set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).

A NAEP trend report, released last summer, showed little improvement in students' reading scores since the early 1970s. The reading portion of the trend assessment measured basic skills, using a predominantly multiple choice format. Previous NAEP reports have shown that many students spend much of their day at home watching television and spend little time reading. At school, students report they are rarely asked about what they read.

"I strongly believe," Riley said, "that by challenging our students to learn to higher standards, by encouraging parents to participate in their children's education, and by promoting reading both at home and at school, we can increase learning and create opportunities for all students."

Among the other findings:

across all three grades, girls have significantly higher reading scores than boys. While the scores of high school seniors were down overall, the decline was greater for boys than it was for girls;
using achievement level measures, Arizona showed an increase in the percentage of students at or above the advanced level and Mississippi showed an increase in the percentage of students at or above the proficient level;
at all three grades, the average proficiencies of Asian and white students were significantly higher than those of Black, Hispanic and American Indian students. At grade 12, whites also outperformed Asian students; and,
nonpublic school students scored higher than public school students at all three grade levels, but the scores of nonpublic school 12th graders dropped as did those of public school students.

The framework on which the test was based was developed by the NAGB through a national consensus process. It measures students' performance in situations that involve reading different kinds of materials for different purposes. The framework was designed to measure: reading for literary experience (e.g.; what is the plot? describe main character); reading to gain information (e.g.; what does this article tell you about? what could be added to improve the author's argument?); and, at the 8th and 12th grades only, reading to perform a task (e.g.; what is this supposed to help you do? what should you do next?). The test expands from 60 percent in 1992 to 70 percent in 1994 the proportion of questions in which students must construct a response instead of simply selecting a multiple choice answer.

Known as the Nation's Report Card, NAEP has monitored trends in academic achievement since the 1970s and is the only continuing, nationally representative assessment of academic performance.

For the 1994 reading assessment, 27,400 students were tested for the national portion and 102,500 took part in the state portion, both administered in early 1994.

Single copies of the report are available while supplies last through the new National Library of Education, call 1-800- 424-1616. To purchase multiple copies, contact the Government Printing Office Order Desk at (202) 512-1800.