Big Declines on 12th Grade NAEP Test Bites Schooling in its Arse!

From EdWeek... predictably, this is presented as important news. But the field will instantly go into its standard 'what more should we do to fix this?'

The problem stems not from what we aren't doing, it stems from what we are doing with out students! Interesting, the population of students for whom the biggest decline is noted is that which often gets the lion's share of a school's effort. The Law of Diminishing Returns once again has bitten the institution of Schooling in its arse!

We can not force students to learn what doesn't seem important or relevant to them. WE must learn to light the spark and fuel the fire of their enthusiasm by honoring their interests, passions, and concerns. Once we get students to participate in their own learning, the sky will be the limit!!! 

"Low Performers Show Big Declines on 12th Grade NAEP Test

Much like their 4th and 8th grade peers, high school seniors have lost ground in math over the last two years, according to the most recent scores on a national achievement test.

In reading, 12th grade scores remained flat, continuing a trend since 2009.
Perhaps the most striking detail in the test data, though, is that the lowest achievers showed large score drops in both math and reading. Between 2013 and 2015, students at or below the 10th percentile in reading went down an average of 6 points on the National Assessment of Educational Progress—the largest drop in a two-year period since 1994. The high achievers, on the other hand—those at or above the 90th percentile—did significantly better in reading, gaining two points, on average, while staying stagnant..."

Read the full article at its source: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/04/12th_grade_naep_2015.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1-RM