Writing test
results mixedIsle eighth-graders still
rank low, but fourth-graders
rate near the U.S. average
Fourth-graders in Hawaii's public schools placed close to the national average on a writing test whose results were released yesterday, but eighth-graders stayed near the bottom of the heap.
The fourth-graders' performance was the best so far for Hawaii on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation's report card, which charts student achievement in various subjects.
"It's the best we've ever done in any subject in NAEP -- in science, math, reading," said Robert Hillier, NAEP state coordinator. "This is the first time we've been in the middle of the nation, rather than near the bottom of the nation."
Hawaii's fourth-graders, tested in writing for the first time in 2002, scored an average of 149, compared with the national average of 153. This placed them ahead of 10 states that took the test, plus the District of Columbia, and equivalent to 12 other states, including California and Michigan. Seven states did not participate in the test.
"It's good to find Hawaii in the company of traditionally high-achieving states in the Midwest and other parts of the country," said state Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto.
Eighth-graders, however, had an average score of 138 on the writing test, well below the national average of 152. That placed them ahead of the District of Columbia and roughly equal to Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The last time Hawaii's eighth-graders took the NAEP writing test, in 1998, their score was 135, ahead of the District of Columbia and equal to Arizona, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The writing test measures how well students can write essays, communicate information and compose arguments. In addition to average scores, the test measures how students perform in terms of proficiency.
In Hawaii, 83 percent of fourth-graders reached at least the basic level, with 22 percent rated at or above proficient. Nationally the figures were 85 percent and 27 percent.
For eighth-graders, 74 percent of Hawaii students taking the test scored at or above basic, with 18 percent at or above proficient. Nationally the figures were 84 percent and 30 percent.
"Scores are still lower than we'd like, but they are improving," Hamamoto said.
Basic achievement means students can at least get their point across, while proficiency requires organized and coherent responses, with clear language and supporting detail.
Connecticut and Massachusetts posted the best performance on the tests.
Complete data are available at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
