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Educational achievement-as measured by student proficiency in mathematics-provides a measure to what extent the leaders of tomorrow are being educated. A central goal of high-quality formal schooling is to ensure that students acquire a solid foundation of knowledge in subject areas, such as mathematics. In recent years, there has been a positive trend in achievement rates in the three grades measured.
Mathematics achievement has been shown to affect many aspects of student development: thinking ability, the likelihood of going to college, employment, earnings in the labor market, and career success.
The mathematics achievement of students is represented by test score results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP has defined national standards of achievement according to what students should know and be able to do at different grades. The Basic level means that students have partial mastery of the prerequisite knowledge and skills that are required for proficient work at a designated grade level. The Proficient level means solid academic performance and demonstrated competency in concepts and applications.
Link(s) to national databases (also see section on Related Internet Links):
http://www.sdi.gov/indicators/lc_edua.htm
Last Modified: May 13, 2002