Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 13, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke Praises Washington Student Performance on 2003 NAEP

OLYMPIA – Nov. 13, 2003 – Gov. Gary Locke today issued the following statement on how Washington students performed on the 2003 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP):

“I am proud of all the hard work that our students, teachers, school administrators and parents have done. I am also proud of their continuing quest to reach even higher levels of academic success.

“Once again, Washington students are trending toward higher academic achievement in reading and mathematics at both the elementary and middle school levels.

“Trends like this bode well for our students to make even further gains under Washington’s tough new academic standards.

“There is more work to do. These NAEP scores show that a wide achievement gap still exists at a national level, even though black and Hispanic student groups are making gains. This achievement gap is unacceptable, and we are working to close it here in our state. A good education is a universal right. It must never depend on circumstances of social or economic standing.”

A sampling of students in about 100 Washington schools were selected to participate in the 2003 NAEP, and their scores were used to generate state results. In all, more than 3,600 fourth-graders and 2,600 eighth-graders participated in Washington state.

NAEP categorizes states into three groups based on the percentage of students at the proficient or advanced skill levels that are:
· Higher than the national average;
· Not significantly different from the national average; or
· Lower than the national average.
Washington remains in the top group with more students scoring at the proficient or advanced skill levels in reading (33 percent at both fourth and eighth grades) than the nation (30 percent at both grade levels). Washington also remains in the top group with more students scoring at the proficient or advanced skill levels in mathematics (36 percent at grade four and 32 percent at grade eight) than the nation (32 percent at grade four and 30 percent at grade 8).

The average math score for Washington’s fourth graders on the NAEP was 238, an increase of 13 scale points over the last assessment in 1996. Scores for the state’s eighth graders also rose during that same time period, from 276 to 281.

On the reading NAEP, Washington’s fourth graders scored 221 scale points, a decrease of three points from last year, but still above the 1998 score of 218. The national average score for 2003 was 216. Results for eighth-grade students settled back to 1998 levels after seeing significant gains in 2002. Washington students scored 264 points, while the national average fell to 261 in 2003.

NAEP is the only nationally representative and continuing measure of what students know and are able to do in various subject areas. Starting this year, the federal No Child Left Behind law requires NAEP to be administered in reading and mathematics to a representative sample of students in grades four and eight every two years.

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