For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2008
Contact: Larry McQuillan
202-403-5119
First-Ever Comparison: Student Math Achievement in
11 Major U.S. Cities Versus Their International Peers
Students in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, New York and
San Diego
Perform Better or Comparable with International Peers
in 4th and 8th Grades
Deficiencies in Student Math Literacy Pose Potential Competitive
Disadvantage in Global Marketplace
Washington – Students in six major U.S. cities are performing on par or better in mathematics than their peers in other countries in grades 4 and 8, according to a new study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). However, students from five other major cities are not faring as well, and overall, U.S. student performance in mathematics falls off from elementary to middle school grades — and remains behind many industrialized nations, particularly Asian nations.
The AIR study offers the first comparison between students from large U.S. cities and their international peers. The study compares U.S. 4th grade students with their counterparts in 24 countries and 8th grade students with peers in 45 countries.
“If you are a student today competing for jobs, the good jobs will not go to the best in your graduating class - they will go to the best in the world,” said Dr. Gary W. Phillips, a Chief Scientist with AIR and the lead author of the report.
Dr. Phillips presented his findings on Thursday, October, 23, 2008 at the annual fall conference of the Council of the Great City Schools in Houston, Texas. He served as the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education from 1999 – 2002, and is nationally known for his expertise in large-scale assessments and complex surveys.
The study found that students in grades 4 and 8 from Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, New York and San Diego performed better or on par with their peers in other countries. Students from Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia and Los Angeles performed below the international average.
When comparing students who are “proficient” on two math benchmarks, the United States places higher than the international average at grade 4 and grade 8. However, the nation’s performance overall was significantly lower than that for Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Japan and the Flemish portion of Belgium at grade 4; for grade 8, the nation’s students also had fallen behind the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands and Hungary.
“Large urban cities are intimately connected to the nations of the world,” said Dr. Phillips. “Large international corporations locate their businesses in our cities, foreign students attend our schools and our own businesses export goods and services to foreign nations. Large urban cities need to know how their students stack up against their peers in the nations with which we do business.”
2007 NAEP Grade 4 Math Proficiency Compared to 2003 TIMSS International Average,
By Percent Proficient
2007 NAEP Grade 8 Math Proficiency Compared to 2003 TIMSS International Average,
By Percent Proficient
“I believe the urban school chiefs in the 11 large school districts that were examined recognize the global nature of educational expectations and the importance of having reliable external data against which to judge their performance and hold themselves accountable,” Dr. Phillips added. “They should be commended for their visionary goal of trying to benchmark their local performance against tough national standards. The purpose of this report is to further help them navigate by providing international benchmarks.”
The AIR study uses a statistical linking strategy to combine results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2003 and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2003, when both assessments were conducted within the United States in the same grades. Once the linking was completed, it was possible to compare the more recent 2007 NAEP results with the TIMSS results of 2003. This strategy led to meaningful comparisons of urban districts and student performance nationally and internationally at grades 4 and 8, using the index of the percent of students at or above “proficient” levels as defined by the NAEP. The index was calculated across all nations that participate in TIMSS, marking the first opportunity for international math comparisons.
The report, Counting on the Future: International Benchmarks in Mathematics for American School Districts, can be found at www.air.org. The study uses comparisons to the overall average of 24 countries’ achievement at grade 4, and 45 countries at grade 8, but also looked at comparisons with the average of 10 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries at grade 4, and 12 OECD countries at grade 8. The 11 districts — Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; the District of Columbia; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; and San Diego — voluntarily participated in the 2007 NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in Mathematics.
There is much room for improvement. Overall, the United States and the 11 districts fall in the middle of the international rankings at grades 4 and 8 — but some of the nations included are developing countries with few resources, taking part in their first international large-scale assessment. When compared with “peer” OECD countries, the United States and the 11 districts are seen to have lower rankings.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, the American Institutes for
Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral
and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically
and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce productivity.
For more information, visit www.air.org.
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American Institutes for Research | 1000 Thomas Jefferson, NW | Washington, D.C. 20007