Writing Skill Lagging in Grades 4, 8

Most California fourth- and eighth-graders cannot write well-organized stories or essays, and their grammar and spelling errors hinder them from communicating clearly on paper, according to a new national test of writing skills.

The Nation’s Report Card, issued by the U.S. Department of Education, found just 23% of the state’s fourth- and eighth-graders were proficient or advanced writers in 2002 -- meaning they had solid academic skills in their grade levels. Eighth-graders also were tested in 1998 and did no better then.

Nationally, 28% of fourth-graders and 31% of eighth-graders did well enough on the test to be considered at least proficient.

California was in the bottom third of states in a group that included Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Missouri and Hawaii. Connecticut, Delaware and Massachusetts were among the states with the highest-performing fourth- and eighth-graders.

The California test scores follow another set of Nation’s Report Card marks last month showing that the reading abilities of the state’s fourth-graders barely moved over the last decade despite a massive investment in education reforms. Only about 20% of the state’s fourth- and eighth-graders were proficient in reading last year.

But one bright spot emerged in the writing test scores: eighth-grade Latinos in California, including those still learning English, showed significant progress since 1998, the last time the tests were given. The average Latino eighth-grade score increased nine points over the four-year period, from 123 to 132 on a scale of 0 to 300. Nationally, Latinos rose five points on average, from 130 to 135.

The California gains came as the percentage of Latino students grew and as the state tested more of those students than any other state.

State officials said the overall California results underscore the need for schools to redouble their efforts to teach writing skills.

“Our students must be able to express themselves effectively in preparation for higher education, the job market and citizenship in a democracy,” said Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. “Effective communication is essential for success in a high-tech society.”

But officials welcomed the gains among Latino students, saying the focus on English literacy and lessons tied to California’s standards were paying off.

“All of these things are coming together in a powerful way to support those students who have historically not been well served,” said Kerry Mazzoni, state education secretary. “I’m satisfied that we are on the right track.”

Yet even as California Latino eighth-graders showed improvement, their African American counterparts did not. The average writing score of those students declined from 134 to 128 between 1998 and 2002.

O’Connell, Mazzoni and others said they were at a loss to explain the drop.

“I think it’s something we need to explore,” Mazzoni said.

The writing tests were given to students in fourth, eighth and 12th grades last year in more than 44 states and jurisdictions, including Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. State-by-state results were released for only fourth- and eighth-graders. A nationwide figure was available for the 12th grade, and it showed that 24% of high school seniors were proficient or advanced in writing.

In California, more than 7,100 fourth- and eighth-graders took the tests last year, in which they were asked to write about a range of topics.

For example, eighth-graders were asked to read a newspaper article about the sleeping habits of children and adults and then write a letter to their principal arguing for or against the idea of starting school later in the day.

The results showed that girls were far better writers than boys in fourth and eighth grade. In fourth grade, 36% of girls were at least proficient, compared with 20% of boys; 42% of eighth-grade girls were at least proficient, compared with 21% of boys.