Kentucky Department of Education

News Release 03-040 -- July 10, 2003

            (FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- The results of the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in writing show that Kentucky's 4^th-graders scored above the national average and 8^th-graders continue to make gains, the Kentucky Department of Education announced today.

            2002 marked the first year Kentucky 4^th-graders participated in the NAEP writing assessment. The scale score for 4^th-graders was 154, one point higher than the national average. Eighth-graders' scale score was 149, a gain of three points since 1998 and three points lower than the national average.

SCALE SCORES FOR 4TH- AND 8TH-GRADERS

2002 - 4th Grade

Kentucky: 154
Nation: 153

1998 - 8th Grade

Kentucky: 146

Nation: 148

2002 - 8th Grade

Kentucky: 149

Nation: 152

            When comparing 2002 4^th-grade scale scores among jurisdictions, Kentucky outscored all except Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Department of Defense schools. Kentucky's 4^th-graders scored significantly higher than 24 jurisdictions and about the same as 17. Kentucky's 8^th-graders scored significantly higher than 15 jurisdictions, lower than 16 and about the same as 15.

            While girls continue to score higher than boys in 8^th-grade writing, the achievement gap between white and black Kentucky 8^th-graders narrowed in 2002. In 1998, white students outscored black students by 19 points. In 2002, that gap was reduced to 13 points. Kentucky's black 8^th-graders also outscored the nation in 2002.

8^TH-GRADE WRITING SCALE SCORES BY GENDER AND RACE

1998 - Kentucky Males/Females (Nation Males/Females)

135/157 (138/158)

2002 - Kentucky Males/Females (Nation Males/Females)

138/161 (141/162)

1998 - Kentucky Whites/Blacks (Nation Whites/Blacks)

148/129 (155/130)

2002 - Kentucky Whites/Blacks (Nation Whites/Blacks)

150/137 (159/134)

            Fourth-grade girls in Kentucky tend to have higher scale scores than fourth-grade boys, and Kentucky's fourth-grade girls also outperform the nation. And, even though black 4^th-graders in Kentucky have higher scale scores than those nationally, the data show that performance gaps exist.

4^TH-GRADE WRITING SCALE SCORES BY GENDER AND RACE

2002 - Kentucky Males/Females (Nation Males/Females)

144/165 (144/162)

2002 - Kentucky Whites/Blacks (Nation Whites/Blacks)

156/143 (159/139)

            Kentucky's 4^th- and 8^th-graders performed similarly to the nation at the basic, proficient and advanced levels.

4^TH GRADE ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL KENTUCKY (NATION)

2002 Percent At or Above:

Below Basic: 14 (15)

Basic: 58 (59)

Proficient: 25 (25)

Advanced: 2 (2)

8^TH GRADE ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL KENTUCKY (NATION)

1998 Percent At or Above:

Below Basic: 15 (17)

Basic: 85 (83)

Proficient: 25 (24)

Advanced: 1 (1)

2002 Percent At or Above:

Below Basic: 16 (16)

Basic: 84 (84)

Proficient: 21 (30)

Advanced: 1 (2)

In Kentucky, approximately 85 percent of both 4^th- and 8^th-graders scored at the Basic level or above. This indicates that, at a minimum, 4^th-grade students can:
* appropriately respond to the task
* use some supporting details
* organize appropriately
* demonstrate sufficient command of spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization

 

At a minimum, 8^th-graders scoring at Basic or above can:

* demonstrate appropriate response to the task in form, content and language

 

* maintain a consistent focus

* respond appropriately to the task

 

* demonstrate organization appropriate to the task 

 

* use supporting details

 

* demonstrate sufficient command of spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization to communicate to the reader 

 

For more than thirty years, NAEP has been the country's only nationally representative and continuing survey of students' educational achievement.  Because the national NAEP samples were not designed to support the reporting of state-level results, state NAEP was introduced in 1990 to provide participating states reliable data concerning the achievement of their students. The assessment is authorized by Congress, directed by NCES and developed by Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey. Westat, Inc. of Rockville, Maryland,  conducts sample selection and data collection.

NAEP protects the confidentiality of students, teachers and schools that participate by not reporting individual student, teacher or school data. NAEP provides results for major demographic groups, and states that meet NAEP reporting criteria are able to compare their results with both national results and the results of other states.

 

INFORMATION ABOUT EXCLUSION RATES

            NAEP reports data based on whether accommodations were allowed in the testing process, meaning that students with disabilities and those considered to have limited English proficiency (LEP) can have special assistance in order to complete the test. Certain students may be excluded from the test, based on teacher recommendations using students' Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

            Until recently, Kentucky was one of the few states that included students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Since 1990, Kentucky has tested nearly every public school student in the state, regardless of disability. Under newly-required federal regulations, other states are just beginning to add students with disabilities to their statewide testing rosters.

While NAEP did allow some accommodations on the writing test in 2002, 6.1 percent of the 4^th-graders and 3.8 percent of the 8^th-graders in Kentucky who were selected to be in the sample were excluded. The fact that NAEP does not allow all the accommodations Kentucky students need and are allowed on the state's tests is one contributor to this rate. However, the exclusion rate is also inclusive of our students who participate in our Alternate Assessment Program, and NAEP does not offer an alternate assessment for these students.

            At the 4^th-grade level, thirty-five states, along with Department of Defense schools, Guam and the Virgin Islands, had lower rates of exclusion than Kentucky's. Eleven states had equal or higher rates. The range was from 1.7 percent (Idaho) to 10.3 percent (Texas). The average nationwide was 5.4 percent.

            At the 8^th-grade level, twenty-four states, along with Guam and Department of Defense schools, had lower rates of exclusion than Kentucky's. Twenty states, along with American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, had equal or higher rates. The range was from .8 percent (North Dakota) to 8.2 percent (Virgin Islands). The average nationwide was 4.2 percent.

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