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

   FOR RELEASE                            Contact:  Melinda Kitchell    August 17, 1994                                    (202) 401-1008

RILEY NOTES PROGRESS IN MATH AND SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT; ENCOURAGES FAMILIES TO GET INVOLVED IN READING AND WRITING

Riley's remarks were delivered during the release of the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress Trend Report, prepared by the National Center for Education Statistics. Riley offered a snapshot of education-related activities that help children learn more and asked parents to take a careful look and apply a caring hand in shaping how children's time is spent with the family and on reading and writing, doing homework and limiting television watching.

"The nation's commitment to improve learning in math and science is starting to show some rewards," Riley said. "High academic standards in mathematics are in use in many classrooms, and soon the nation will have similar standards for science. Significant gains in math and science performance and higher- level course-taking are evident in the findings released today.

"As a nation, we recognized years ago that improving our understanding of math and science must be a national priority. We went to work on improving the teaching and learning of math and science," Riley said.

"Unfortunately, the reading and writing achievement of the nation's youth is, at best, stable. We know that attitudes and achievement in reading and writing are greatly influenced by what goes on in the home. Children who read and are read to, who see their parents read, who have a variety of reading materials in the home, and who write letters or notes at home -- read and write better. We know what makes for success in reading and writing, and parents need to make sure it happens more," he added.

"Schools, too, must continue to improve instruction in these areas and reach out to parents as partners."

Next month, Riley will join with parents, parent groups, educators, business, community and religious organizations to launch a nationwide initiative to promote greater family involvement in children's learning.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) also found that between 1986 and 1992, more students studied higher- level science at age 17 and higher-level mathematics at ages 13 and 17. The same proportion of high school girls as boys reported studying chemistry, calculus and advanced algebra (Algebra II) in 1992 (see Tables 3.2 and 6.4). Technology and computer use in the classroom, as expected, is also on the rise.

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 1992 trend assessment, 31,000 students were tested. Fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders were tested in writing, and nine-, 13- and 17-year-olds were tested in reading, mathematics and science.

NAEP reports proficiency by school-, home- and demographic- related background factors. The percentage of students reaching each of five levels along the 500-point scale (150, 200, 250, 300, and 350) is provided. The NAEP proficiency levels for science, mathematics, and reading are explained in figures 2.1 (page 52), 5.1 (page 96), 8.1 (page 155), respectively, in the full report. The writing proficiency scales are described on pages 214-215 of the report.

Among the report's highlights:

• Among nine- and 13-year-olds, math proficiency has improved significantly and students demonstrate increased understanding of math fundamentals (levels 150, 200, and 250), but with few gains in problem solving. For 17-year-olds, math performance declined between 1973 and 1982, but by 1992 had returned to the 1973 level;
• Science performance declined significantly on average in the 1970s, then improved during the 1980s. More nine- and 13-year-olds demonstrate understanding of science fundamentals (levels 150, 200 and 250);
• Eighth graders' writing skills have improved between 1990 and 1992, surpassing 1984 levels, while fourth and 11th grade writing achievement has shown little change between 1984 and 1992;
• There has been little improvement in reading scores. Gains in nine-year-olds' reading scores in the 1970s were offset by declines between 1980 and 1992. The reading performance of 13- and 17-year-olds was higher in 1992 than it was in 1971, reflecting earlier increases in proficiency (17-year-olds made gains between 1980 and 1988, nine- and 13-year-olds made gains between 1975 and 1980);
• A large gap in academic achievement between white students and black and Hispanic students still exists, but while gains in minority student performance helped narrow the gap, progress has stalled since the mid- 1980s. Minority students are making progress in reaching higher levels (level 250 and 300) of proficiency in math and science;
• Boys continue to outscore girls in science and math by a small margin, while girls greatly outperform boys in reading and writing;
• The proportion of 17-year-olds who feel that science study should be required in school is up since 1977, and among students who believe science should be required, scores are up;
• Students with positive views about the usefulness of knowing science and knowing how to write well perform better in those subjects.

• The education level of the nation's parents appears to be rising and the percentage of students with college- educated parents has increased. Students with college- educated parents had the highest average scores in all subjects;
• Students who see family members engage in reading and writing activities on a daily or weekly basis have higher scores in those areas than those whose families did not participate in those same activities. The extent of such reading activities by students and their families has not increased over the years, however;
• The percentage of nine- and 13-year-olds who watch six or more hours of television per day is down since 1992, but up for 17-year-olds;
• While more students spend at least some time on math homework each night, approximately one-third of all students report that they typically spend no time on homework in any subject;
• Far fewer students in 1992 reported at least four types of reading materials in their homes than in 1971 and the amount of time spent reading for fun is unchanged.