Editorial: Nation’s Report Card shows need for school choice

Terrible test scores aren t inevitable But maintaining the status quo won t fix them Last week the National Assessment of Educational Progress disclosed results for eighth-grade science and th-grade reading and math Students took the tests in These results are called the Nation s Record Card and they were abysmal In eighth grade science of students were below basic achievement levels Just were proficient The average achievement was noticeably down since A learner at a basic achievement level likely can demonstrate that reproduction is an essential part of population survival the Nation s Assessment Card explained in its write-up That s pretty basic yet it s beyond the reach of almost of our country s eighth graders Students at the proficient level likely can describe the function of body systems circulatory respiratory digestive according to the overview Seniors struggled too They had lower scores compared to when their peers took the test in When the NAEP reading test was first given in the average reading points was On the test the average had dropped to Notably students in the th percentile indeed did slightly better than those in But scores for other students were lower In the th percentile the drop was a staggering points Our nation s general schools continue to disproportionately fail the lowest-performing students Thirty-two percent of seniors scored below the basic level That means they are unlikely to be able to read a text and find relevant details showing they understood its literal meaning Just over a third of students registered a proficient count Those students likely can connect key details within and across texts and use those details to draw complex inferences about author s purpose tone word choice and related ideas the write-up stated At the NAEP Advanced level students likely can evaluate the effectiveness of an author s indicates organization and selection of ideas and evidence used the Nation s Account Card wrote Just of th graders hit the advanced level The implications are terrifying The lesson is clear Success isn t about how much money we spend but who controls the money and where that money is invested Development Secretary Linda McMahon noted That s why President Trump and I are committed to returning control of schooling to the states so they can innovate and meet each school and students unique demands That s exactly right The nation demands more school choice Las Vegas Review-Journal Tribune News System Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley Creators Syndicate