CCISD News

National test confirms TAKS trends

From Texas Education Agency

April 22, 2006

AUSTIN—National test results released March 30 show that the average performance of Texas students in reading and mathematics is above the national average in the elementary grades.

“Increases in average test scores over a 10-year period are particularly evident in reading at grade 3 and in mathematics at grades 3 and 5,” according to a new Texas National Comparative Data Study.

Periodically, Texas students are given a national exam to determine how their academic performance compares to that of children in other states. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are given to elementary and middle school students and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development are given to high school students. The Iowa Tests were given in the fall of the 2004-2005 school years. Approximately 500 Texas districts were sampled and tests were given to about 12,500 students per grade.

The Iowa Tests’ results largely track results on the state’s Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Texas students at grades 3-8 and 11 scored above the national average on the Iowa Test’s math exam. Students in the ninth grade tied the national average and 10th grade scored below the national average.

Reading performance was mixed with students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 11 scoring above the national average, while eighth-grade scores tied the national average. Reading scores for grades 6, 7, 9 and 10 were below the national average.

When Texas students’ performance on the Iowa Tests are examined over a decade from 1994 to 2004, reading scores are up at grades 3, 4, and 5; stable at grade 8; and down for grades 6, 7, and 10. Texas results are not available over this time period for grades 9 and 11. Reading and math Iowa Tests were not administered in 1994 at those grade levels.

“ The results on the Iowa Tests offer another validation that the Texas Reading Initiative, which focuses on grades 3-5, is paying off. These results also confirm that the state’s increased focus on improving secondary schools is justified,” Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley said.

A comparison of math scores from 1994 and 2004 show improved performance at grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 and stable scores at grades 6 and 7.

“ We are pleased that our math scores for 2004 are above the national average, but we must continue to improve in this area. Math skills are a key component of 21st century jobs and we want our students well prepared,” Neeley said.

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