The Core Knowledge Blog

The National Assessment of Educational Progress test of students’ progress in elementary and secondary schools offers “a distorted picture of achievement” and fails to fully examine how well schools prepare students for adult life, according to a paper summarized in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  The report commissioned by the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College of Columbia University argues that the NAEP focuses too narrowly on basic academic and critical thinking skills in measuring how well students are being educated.

“Moreover,” the report says, “the federal benchmarking test fails to gauge the long-term impact of education because it does not look at whether adults who were educated at elementary and secondary schools do things such as vote, read independently, or stay in shape physically.” 

Those expecting disagreement will not be disappointed.  The Chronicle’s report is followed by a reader comment:  “I don’t give a flip whether students in question (or you for that matter) vote, read independently, or stay in shape. However I do care very much whether students can read, write, and do basic math.”