Study finds most students in most nations cannot clear the bar set by Common Core or NAEP benchmarks

A detailed report has concluded that the vast majority of students in most countries cannot demonstrate proficiency as defined by one of America’s most common educational tests. The authors of the analysis suggest the U.S. has established benchmarks that are neither useful nor credible.

In their report How High the Bar?, the National Superintendents Roundtableand Horace Mann League linked the performance of foreign students on international tests of reading, mathematics, and science to the proficiency benchmarks of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the United States’ longest continuing assessment of students.

They also examined major assessments related to the Common Core. The report notes that very few students in most nations would clear the NAEP proficiency bar the U.S. has set for itself in reading, math, and science:  

• In no nation do even 40 percent of students meet the NAEP Proficient benchmark in Grade 4 reading. 
• Only one nation has 50 percent or more of its students meeting the Proficient benchmark in Grade 8 science (Singapore).
• Just three nations have 50 percent or more of their students meeting the Proficient benchmark in Grade 8 math (Singapore, Republic of Korea, and Japan).  

 Citing the U.S. Department of Education’s own records, the report criticizes the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP, for misusing the term “Proficient.” The term does not mean what many assume it to mean: performingat grade level.Nor does it mean proficient as most people understand the term, according to Department officials.

“Misuse of the term has confused the public and defeated the valuable purpose of assessment, which is to gain useful insights into school performance,” saysJack McKay, director of the Horace Mann League.Far from failing, the U.S. ranked fifth among the world’s 40 largest and wealthiest nations in Grade 4 reading at the NAEP Proficient benchmark. Singapore, the Russian Federation, Finland, and England ranked ahead.

The research behind How High the Bar? compared NAEP to two international assessments known as the Progress on International Literacy Survey (PIRLS) and Trends inInternational Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).Benchmarks also used for Common Core and college-and-career readiness 

The report indicates that in 2015,43 states used test sto evaluate learning related to the Common Core. They include tests associated with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), as well as tests developed by individual states. Many have adopted benchmarks similar to NAEP’s, labeling them as “career and college readiness” standards. When Common Core assessments are aligned with NAEP’s benchmark of Proficient, state test results are also likely to contribute to a narrative of public school failure, conclude the report authors. 

The report also criticizes the speed in which the National Assessment Governing Board adopted the benchmarks.