Negative Report Issued on State’s Math Students

The math skills of California’s fourth- and eighth-graders continue to lag behind national averages, the U.S. Department of Education said Thursday in its periodic report card on the nation’s schools.

While California’s students did not perform worse than they did two years ago, state educators said they were particularly disturbed that only 13% of California’s fourth-graders and 20% of its eighth-graders demonstrated mastery of the math skills expected of their grade levels. The national averages for the two groups were 18% and 23%, respectively.

“Today’s results show just how far California and the nation have to go before we reach our goal of ensuring that all our students can compute and solve mathematical problems adequately,” said acting State Supt. of Public Instruction William D. Dawson.

Compared to other states and territories, only fourth-graders in Guam and the District of Columbia ranked lower than California. For eighth-graders, the states and territories with a lower level of math skills were Guam, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The states with the highest mathematics proficiency were Maine, Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Nebraska.

State and national educators, while acknowledging that the students’ math skills must improve, attributed California’s poor performance to ever-shrinking funds for education and the growing number of students who speak only limited English.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly referred to as the “nation’s report card,” is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the Department of Education. The group conducts periodic nationwide exams in a variety of subjects but the most recent report was limited to math skills.

The survey, which was first conducted in 1990, included almost 250,000 fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders in 44 states and territories. The Department of Education released only the state averages for fourth- and eighth-graders Thursday.

In California, 52% of fourth-graders and 45% of eighth-graders did not display even a basic level of proficiency, which is defined as only partial mastery of the math skills appropriate to their grade level.

“To have 52% below the basic level on what are extremely modest requirements is pretty discouraging,” said Walter Denham, manager for mathematics education at the California Department of Education. “One never likes to be below the median but, even if we were above it, we wouldn’t be satisfied. The national averages are still way less than students can accomplish and less than they need for when they are adults.”

Nationally, student performances have increased slightly since 1990 but educators expressed dismay at the overall low level of math skills generally.

“While we’re moving in the right direction and we’re pleased about that, unfortunately today’s news is not all good,” said Education Secretary Richard W. Riley at a press conference announcing the results. “We see that students across the board are not meeting the high standards that we have set.”

Riley acknowledged that the report does not reveal “a simple magic potion that we can stir into our education mix,” but said that it “provides early evidence that curriculum standards and assessments can work to improve student performance.” The Clinton Administration has touted national standards as a way to improve the nation’s schools.

National and state educators, meanwhile, said that California is noteworthy for its efforts in education reform but faces difficult obstacles in improving its students’ math skills.

“California has very nice things in place, such as using teachers to teach other teachers as a way to aid professional development,” said Dr. Mary Lindquist, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. “But it is not as much as will be necessary. With the state’s budget constraints, it is very difficult for teachers.”

California’s per-pupil spending ranks 41st in the country for this school year and is almost $1,000 below the national average, according to the state Department of Education.

State education officials said California’s scores are also affected by the large number of students with limited English proficiency--the highest percentage in the country. In the 1991-92 school year, 34% of California students came from homes where English was not the primary language and about 19% were classified as having limited English proficiency.

“We are not satisfied with the implied notion that students from other backgrounds and languages should be expected to do worse and we do not hold to that belief,” Denham said. “But the truth is that it is harder in California than in states where most students are native English speakers.”