“Large percentages of the nation’s twelfth graders lack the skills necessary to thrive in the ‘real world’ even though they are on the verge of entering it,” said Gov. Wise.
WASHINGTON, DC – Findings released this morning from the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—also known as the Nation’s Report Card—show that average reading and math scores for American high school seniors are unchanged since the last assessment in 2009. Even worse, three quarters of twelfth graders performed below the proficient level in math and 62 percent performed below that level in reading. In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:
“Based on recent history, the flat-line in performance isn’t a surprise, but it’s no less disturbing. Today’s test results are a wake-up call to high school seniors and an alarm to the nation’s colleges and businesses.
“The good news is that national high school graduation rate is on the upswing and is greater than 80 percent for the first time. Higher graduation rates mean there are more runners on the track—the challenge is getting them up to speed. However, today’s results reveal that large percentages—nearly 75 percent in math and more than 60 percent in reading—of the nation’s twelfth graders lack the skills necessary to thrive in the ‘real world’ even though they are on the verge of entering it.
“These results speak to the desperate need for the aggressive implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Higher academic standards must be met with quality education to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in college and a career.”
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The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC–based national policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring all students, particularly those traditionally underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. www.all4ed.org.
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the Alliance’s “High School Soup” blog (www.all4ed.org/blog).
