Published on CNS News (http://www.cnsnews.com)
US Spends $600 Billion/Year on Education, But Large Majority of H.S. Seniors Not College-Ready
(CNSNews.com) – Despite the fact that the U.S. spends more than $600 billion per year on public education, a large majority of high school seniors are not ready for college-level work in math and reading, according to the latest results of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress [1] (NAEP), also known as “the nation’s report card”.
Demonstrating proficiency in a core subject like math or reading is considered proof of being academically prepared for college-level courses.
However, just 25 percent [2] of 12th graders tested “Proficient” or above in math on the 2015 NAEP, down slightly from the 26 percent reported in 2013.
That means that three-quarters of the nation’s soon-to-be-graduating high school seniors are not prepared to succeed in college math courses.
Although more 12th graders (37 percent [3]) tested “Proficient” or above in reading, that figure was also down one percent from the 2013 results.
According to NAEP, nearly two-thirds of high seniors do not have the written language skills they will need in college.
The average score of the 31,900 12th graders who took the 2015 NAEP math test was 152, which was down in all four content areas and one point lower than the average score (153) in 2013, Peggy Carr, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics [4] (NCES), told reporters during a webinar on Wednesday announcing the latest NAEP results.
http://www.cnsnews.com/print/1021926