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South Carolina student test scores in reading and mathematics have risen since 2002, according to a new national report.
The report, “Has Student Achievement Increased Since 2002? State Test Score Trends Through 2006-07,” was released by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy. It analyzed state test data from all 50 states as well as trends through 2007 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the only federally administered assessment of reading and math achievement. The CEP study focused on two questions: whether reading and math achievement has increased since 2002 and whether achievement gaps between subgroups have narrowed. According to the CEP report, South Carolina students made moderate to large gains in reading at the elementary level from 2002 to 2007. Reading performance dropped slightly at the middle school level and rose slightly at the high school level. In math, there were moderate to large gains at the elementary level, and slight gains at the middle and high school levels. Test score gaps between African-American and white students narrowed in middle school reading and high school math. Other trends were mixed. Gaps between low-income and all students widened in reading and math at the elementary grade analyzed. At the middle school level, gaps in percentages of students scoring proficient narrowed in reading and widened in math. “We’ve seen some progress, and that’s good,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “But educators know that the pace of improvement has to accelerate if South Carolina students hope to be competitive with students in other states, and in other nations. We’ve got to be more creative, we’ve got to be more innovative, and we’ve got to work harder.” CEP describes itself as an independent advocate for public education and for more effective public schools. The Center works to help Americans better understand the role of public education in a democracy and the need to improve the academic quality of public schools. (Image provided by Greenville and Spartanburg County Schools.)
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