Sloppy Reporting Over at 30 Rock?
Have you checked out NBC’s Education Nation’s mission statement? A little birdie recently passed on some interesting information about it...
The statement claims “Sixty-eight percent of our eighth-graders can’t read at grade level.” But where did that number come from?
The source was not immediately apparent. But having some knowledge of education (and a helpful source), I assumed it came from NAEP--the National Assessment of Educational Progress. So I went to their website to check out the reading scores.
NAEP actually found that 32% of eighth graders performed at or above the proficient level in 2009, the most recent data available. That means, of course, that 68% of eighth graders did not. The problem? Scoring “proficient” on the reading NAEP has no relationship with whether or not a student can read at grade-level.
NAEP defines proficient as “representing solid academic performance for each grade assessed. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.” It defines basic--which 75% of eighth graders scored at or above--as “partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed.”
So NBC either cannot read the research or deliberately misrepresented it (and the other news sources that picked up this statistic did a poor job of fact checking, but that is another issue). I personally think it is the former--it is a complicated distinction for those who do not have a background in education. But while "Sixty-eight percent of our eighth-graders can’t read at grade level" makes a better soundbite than “Sixty-eight percent of our eighth-graders do not demonstrate competency over challenging subject matter,” it is an inaccurate statement.
If NBC believes that Education Nation is important because “providing quality news and information to the public - the hallmark of journalistic excellence - will help Americans make decisions about how best to improve our education system,” then they need to ensure that they provide quality news and information. This just looks like sloppy reporting.
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Sloppy reporting, indeed.
Sloppy reporting, indeed. The very idea that NAEP or ANYONE can determine a set national standard for a student's overall "grade level" is astounding. The very idea that the nation, let alone individual states, ought set forth what a student MUST be taught is wrongheaded as well.
Who do these people think they are?
The idea that there needs to be an education "system" out there at all should be the fundamental question of the news, not how to "improve" the system. The newspeople ARE NOT supposed to function as cheerleaders and supporters of the status quo. They are to be the questioners, the fact-checkers, the number-diggers. The pain in the butt at every school board meeting.
I'm more concerned that NBC passed off a number from the NAEP without looking for their *own* data than this idea that they didn't bend and allow for a "basic" mastery to indicate competence.
It doesn't by any standard in my opinion.
Hi Mrs. C - I didn't mean to
Hi Mrs. C - I didn't mean to indicate that "basic" should indicate competency. I don't think that it does. I gave the two different definitions to make the point that there is NO reference to grade-level anywhere in NAEP. It is not proficient. It is not basic. It is nowhere in there. So NBC's claim is either, as I said, misreading the research or deliberately misrepresenting it. In either case, it is not adhering to the high standard of journalism they claim to hold themselves to.
And I am less concerned with that they used the NAEP number (such research would have been extremely difficult for them to conduct on their own) than that they didn't clearly identify the source for it. Where's the transparency there?
I also agree with the sentiment that there is not really a national standard for grade-level that can be legitimately addressed, but for a different reason: different states expect children to learn different things at different times. (I suspect that your concern relates to a system of progression through grades in general...tying certain expectations to a child's biological age rather than individual readiness to learn, which is another legitimate discussion that I agree, we could be having right now).
I'm less concerned with the idea that there needs to be a system (I personally support one). But I share your concern that on this issue, there might not be real debate. "The newspeople ARE NOT supposed to function as cheerleaders and supporters of the status quo. They are to be the questioners, the fact-checkers, the number-diggers." Absolutely. 100% percent agreement. (Has that ever happened before?)
Ohhhhhh... NOW I understand
Ohhhhhh... NOW I understand what you are saying about grade levels. And yes, I think we just agreed on something! :)
After much research and
After much research and debate over 30 years in public education, the ultimate explanation for such an instance as NBC's cheerleading (a very kind description!) is that they respond to the money! Raytheon, Gates, and market ratings.
Decades ago Larry Cremin, of
Decades ago Larry Cremin, of Teachers College, used to relate the history of why we have eight grades in American elementary schools. The first graded school in America was the Quincy School, in Boston, built in 1847. There was never any discussion about the number of grades. The contractor built the school to meet the budget and space available. So there were eight rooms.
And THAT is the "foundation" for all this idiocy about skill levels. We know full well that hardly anyone proceeds one level in one year, it's very, very hypothetical. In fact, my guess is that they built 8 grades to break up those nasty Irish immigrants in Boston fleeing the potato famine and messing up the nice stability of the Yankees. So much for distinctions of and among Muslim, Irish, Latino, and other newcomers!
Joe - Thanks for sharing that
Joe - Thanks for sharing that fascinating tidbit. I am attempting a Google search to see what else I can learn on this issue. But the sad, sad thing...I would not be that surprised if the entire basis for one of the key components of our education system was, in fact, so randomly established.
(Anyone interested in spending a little cash to to learn more about the establishment of graded schools in America could check out the following articles I found on JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/pss/3202784 and http://www.jstor.org/pss/998030)
Anne, Thank you for the
Anne,
Thank you for the fact-checking. As a former journalist-turned-teacher, I'm more than a little disappointed in how some in the media have failed to meet proficiency on basic journalism standards and ethics in their coverage of education.
On grade levels, these divisions exist primarily for the convenience of adults not the actually intellectual development of children. I'm among those who argue that we should have long ago abolished grade levels and the wasteful, damaging policies attached to them (such as retention and remediation). A better goal, in my mind, would be to help each child work towards reaching the various content standards with the aid of well-supported teachers along a learning continuum at more individualized paces. This will be more likely and necessary in the schools of the near future.
Anne (and all) the late
Anne (and all)
the late Gerald Bracey was more than critical of the NAEP proficiency levels. He argued strenuously that the proficiency levels were artificial, with not grounding in what was actually necessary to be competent at the grades involved.
Of course, too many in this nation take anything with a number attached as gospel truth without having the slightest understanding of how that number was produced.
More of a problem in our educational debates - too many are unwilling to take the time to get properly "educate" about the subject but feel they are more than competent to make judgments based on their (mis)understanding of the data upon which they rely.
NAEP in fact explicitly warns
NAEP in fact explicitly warns readers not to confuse "proficient" with "grade-level performance." The following is from their website: "NAEP defines Proficient as competency over challenging subject matter, not grade-level performance. Basic is defined as partial mastery of the skills necessary for Proficient performance."
In other words, NBC journalists used the data--or probably had it fed to them by some PR firm--without doing the 15 minutes of fact-checking it would have taken to get it right. So I guess there are no standards anymore
Thanks for putting this out there.
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