The Most Misused Statistics In Education.
If someone is telling you that some extraordinary percentage of students can’t read at grade level, they’re probably wrong.
Moms for Liberty tweeted that 68% of children can’t read on grade level.
Betsy DeVos said in a speech that two-thirds of students can’t read at grade level, and the media reported that claim at face value.
It sounds bad, doesn’t it. Fortunately, it wasn’t true.
The problem comes from the term “proficiency” as used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the test that serves as “the nation’s report card.” The NAEP uses three achievement levels to report results: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced (four if your count Below Basic).
The National Center for Education Statistics operates the NAEP, and they are aware there’s an issue. On their website, the language is quite clear. After noting that NAEP Proficient means that the students “demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter,” the website says:
It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments).
A lie from Reagan's "A Nation At Risk" that won't die.