California's reading scores rank in bottom third

By JENNIFER COLEMAN
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO (AP) California fourth graders improved their reading skills, but the state's eighth-graders made no gains on a national test given last year, state officials said Thursday.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is given to students in grades four, eight and 12. State level results are only reported for grades four and eight.

California scored in the bottom third of the states that took the test, performing better than Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Nationally, fourth-graders showed significant gains compared with 1998. But eighth-graders showed no reading improvement over the four-year period 12th-graders showed declines at every level, from basic to advanced readers.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said he was pleased with the progress the fourth graders had shown. The younger students have benefited from recent changes such as smaller classes and new state standards, he said.

``On the other hand, our eighth-grade students, who have not had the full benefit of these reforms, did not score as well,'' O'Connell said.

The average score of California eighth graders dropped slightly from the 1998 level. Among the eighth graders, Asian, black and low-income students showed improvements slightly greater than improvements by the nation as a whole. White students and students who weren't proficient in English improved at a slower rate than those groups did nationally.

Among the fourth graders in California, nearly all categories improved their scores, with Hispanic, Asian, black and low-income students showing the largest gains.

Students' scores shouldn't be compared side-by-side to other states, because California has unique challenges, including the largest percentage of English learners of any state, California education officials said.

The test results are useful, ``but no single test given to a small fraction of our student base can properly monitor all students' progress or provide the information necessary to make decisions on ways to improve student learning and school programs,'' O'Connell said.

The reading test is overseen by the independent National Assessment Governing Board and run by the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the Education Department. Results of the other topic tested in 2002, writing, are scheduled to be released in July.

The assessment is designed to measure skills students should possess in a given grade, with the goal being for all students to be above basic, which is partial mastery of key skills. The test is given to a sample of schools, not every student.

Several states didn't participate in the reading test. Another round of tests given earlier this year had broader participation and those results will be released this fall.

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On the Net:

View the test results at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)