SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today made the following comment on the results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):

"California's scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reflect the trends we see on our state standards-based tests, and also the challenges faced in educating California's diverse population. Once again, these results point out stark and persistent racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps in our schools that must be addressed if our students and our state are to thrive in the demanding global economy.

"I am pleased that achievement in reading has improved and that we've not lost ground in other areas since 2005. While there are valid reasons to question the fairness of state-to-state comparisons, it is also clear that California schools have much work to do to raise the achievement levels of all groups of students.

"There has been a steady increase in the average scale scores of black and Hispanic students since 1998 in fourth grade reading and since 2000 in fourth grade and eighth grade mathematics. However, the achievement gap remains between white or Asian students and their African American or Hispanic peers. We know all children can learn to the same high levels, so we must confront and change those things that are holding groups of students back.

"When considering the NAEP scores, it is important to remember some significant differences between NAEP and our state assessments, and also to take a close look at California's demographics and the performance of specific student groups.

"California's performance relative to other states should be viewed in light of the fact that our state has the highest proportion of English learners in the nation and also that we assess a higher proportion of our English learner students than other states. For example, 33 percent of California's fourth graders were identified as English learners, and of these 2 percent were excluded from the test, for an overall exclusion rate of 6 percent. In comparison, Texas excluded 31 percent of its English learners from the assessment. In eighth grade reading, Texas excluded 38 percent of its English learners, compared with California's 9 percent exclusion rate.

"Even so, California's Hispanic students showed a significant, 5 percentage point increase since 2005 in the proportion of students performing at basic or above in fourth grade reading, and Hispanic students who were not classified as English learners increased overall by nearly 5 points.

"I'm proud that California policymakers believe it is important to test all students regardless of their challenges, and that we have stuck to high standards and expectations for all students. The result is that our state doesn't fare as well as we'd like on some national comparisons, but our students are better served if we hold high standards and gather more complete data."

For more information on the 2007 NAEP please go to: The Nation's Report Card - National Assessment of Educational Progress [http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/] (Outside Source).

Note: Superintendent O'Connell has charged the statewide P-16 Council with the development of a specific and ambitious plan that will hold the state of California accountable for creating the conditions necessary for closing the achievement gap. Council members include parents, elected officials, business leaders, researchers, librarians, educators, and students that represent all segments of public education from preschool through college. On November 13-14, O'Connell will host an Achievement Gap Summit at the Sacramento Convention Center, where thousands of educators from throughout California will be hearing about and working together on strategies for closing the achievement gap. For more information, please go to: GAP Summit - Request to Attend [http://www.sjcoe.org/summit/index.aspx] (Outside Source).