The Common Core State Standards, adopted by most U.S. states, are supposed to ensure that the nation’s high school graduates are college and career ready, and able to compete in an increasingly global economy. Opponents contend that the standards are an unnecessary intrusion on local control of public schools. The dispute begs the question: How well were students served when each state developed its own standards and tests? Insights come from Maryland, considered by some to have the best public schools in the nation.
Before a new curriculum based on the Common Core was implemented across Maryland this school year, each state set its own standards, and developed its own related tests under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Results on the Maryland tests improved over the years such that, by 2013, nearly 90% of the state’s fourth graders scored at proficient or advanced levels in math and reading. In eighth grade, proficiency rates were not as high, but still hit nearly 70% in math and about 80% in reading. In high school, nearly 85% were at or above proficient on the Algebra exam; in English, the figure was 83%. The bottom line: Both the upward trend and the most recent results looked impressive, so where was the problem?
First, while most students were deemed successful by the state’s standards, they were not ready for college level work after graduating from high school. The problem is not unique to Maryland, but the most recent available data compiled in the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) 2014 Data Book show that overall, a majority of Maryland high school graduates who were enrolled in a Maryland public college for the 2010-11 school year had to take remedial coursework before taking credit-bearing college courses. The remediation rate for community college enrollees was over 70%.
Including data on Maryland high school graduates who attended private colleges or out-of-state schools, while not reported by MHEC, might have reduced remediation rates for Maryland overall. However, the fact remains that in a single year, 17,000 of the state’s public high school graduates were, according to Maryland public colleges, unprepared for the work.
Another red flag comes from student performance on the assessment known as “The Nation’s Report Card”. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides what it calls “a common yardstick” as the largest nationally representative and ongoing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in tested subjects. The exams in reading and math are given to a representative sample of fourth and eighth graders in each state every two years.
In recent years, Maryland’s results* have mainly beaten the national averages, and they showed notable progress over the last decade, rising, for example, to a high of 48% scoring at or above proficient in fourth grade math. Perhaps additional gains would have been realized on the NAEP without any change in Maryland standards, and a majority of students tested would someday reach proficiency.
However, as of 2013, the majority of Maryland fourth and eighth graders tested remained below proficient in both math and reading. In the case of eighth grade math, the percent from Maryland who scored below proficient stood at 63%.
Direct comparisons between results on the NAEP and Maryland assessments are problematic. In addition to the differences already noted, proficiency levels are uniquely and subjectively defined for each test, and the Maryland standards were aligned with the Maryland exams, and not with NAEP. Still, the gap in 2013 between the percentages of Maryland students scoring below proficient on the state versus the national tests is striking.
2013 Test Result Comparison: Maryland State Assessment vs Maryland Performance on National Assessment of Educational Progress
Data sources: marylandreportcard.org, nces.ed.gov, compiled by The Dagger
Contention over the Common Core shows no signs of easing, which isn’t surprising given the upheaval and the cost of revamping educational standards, plus teacher evaluations and student data collection in 44 states. More importantly, no one knows whether this massive effort will succeed or fail. But it’s difficult to argue that there was no room for improvement under the status quo.
*Maryland reportedly excluded a large number of special education students from its sample on the NAEP reading test, which may have inflated results. To read more, go here.