Lower NAEP scores correlate to lower college completion. NAEP indicates that when the average student graduates high school today, he or she is no more or less proficient in core subjects than his or her parents were in the 1980s. Research shows that proficiency on NAEP’s reading test is a leading indicator of college readiness. We can’t say that for most of the tests student takes today, which is one reason why the majority of students who enter college in this country don’t graduate.
New research by the Center for American Progress finds that in 46 states, high school graduation does not meet the need requirements of public universities. According to Laura Jimenez, the author interviewed for the 74:
“The cost of remediation is high. It’s costing students upwards of…around $2 billion a year in out-of-pocket costs. So it’s a problem. And the root of it is that there really isn’t official coordination between K-12 and higher ed around what it means to be college- and career-ready.”
Here’s a refresher and commentary from the last few NAEP releases:
Results from the 2009 Nation’s Report Card Math Results for 4th and 8th Grade
And how few 12th grade students achieve
Back to A Nation Still At Risk? Results From The Latest NAEP Recall The Report From 35 Years Ago