YORK COUNTY – Educators in York County and across the state can take pride in the progress made in raising test scores for students in crucial fourth and eighth grade examinations.

Results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in reading and mathematics show that Maine’s fourth and eighth graders scored at the national average or higher on the tests.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress documents the statewide academic performance for all students, and includes informational factors such as race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status. The NAEP test is administered every other year to students in all 50 states, but results are not revealed for individual students, schools, or classrooms.

“Maine students face unique challenges today that can have an impact on their learning. While I am pleased that our students are maintaining performance, the Department will continue to focus on effective strategies to improve achievement of mathematics and literacy in all grades,” said Maine Department of Education Commissioner Robert G. Hasson Jr.

According to Hasson, 2017 NAEP results reveal that Maine students scored at the national average or higher, which is consistent with previous years.

He said that Maine students did not show any significant change in performance in either mathematics or reading in grades four and eight when compared to the results from 2015 NAEP testing.

Hasson said 2017 NAEP reading scores indicate a gender gap at the fourth and eighth grade levels with boys performing lower than girls taking the test with the gender achievement gap appearing to increase as students become older.

Scores in mathematics did not indicate a gender achievement gap, he said.

Hasson said the Maine Department of Education will continue to implement programs that strive to raise student test scores even higher.

“In addition to the Department’s MoMEntum Literacy Pilot program, we are also embarking on a similar strategy called Numeracy4ME to support schools in their efforts to improve student achievement in math. It is my hope that we can expand these programs as we continue to develop them,” he said.

NAEP scores are only one of many measures of the achievement level of Maine’s students and should not be used in isolation from other data, Hasson said.

Other testing, such as the Maine Educational Assessments, the eMPowerME, Multi-State Alternate Assessment, and SAT, also provide valuable information about the knowledge and skills of Maine’s students.

And, he said, formative assessments and locally developed academic measurements are essential parts of a school’s instructional program.

Students were tested in math, reading, and writing using tablets, although some took traditional paper-and-pencil versions of the mathematics and reading assessments to evaluate the differences between the two modes at the state and district levels.

In 2015, Maine fourth-graders scored 242 on average in math, while in 2017, they scored 240. The national average is 239.

Eighth-graders in Maine scored 285 on average in Math in 2015, yet scored 284 in 2017. The national average is 282.

In reading, state fourth-graders scored 224 on average in 2015, but scored a 221 in 2017 testing. The national average is 221.

Lastly, Maine eighth-graders scored 268 in reading in 2015. Students in eighth-grade in Maine scored 269 on average in 2017. The national average is 265.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, and NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected districts.

The assessment does not change from year to year, with only carefully documented adjustments. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over the years with respect to a specific set of learning goals.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com