Although many elementary and high school students have mastered basic skills in the four core subjects-reading, writing, arithmetic and science-few can use their knowledge effectively in thinking and reasoning, a 20-year study mandated by Congress has found.
American schools have reversed the negative performance trend of the 1970s in the four subjects, but need to move beyond simply teaching basics if graduates are to perform well in an increasingly complex world, according to the report, issued Tuesday. It suggested that school may be too easy and urged that students become active rather than passive learners.
”Our nation is at an educational crossroads,” said Gregory R. Anrig, president of Educational Testing Service. ”Education must prove that it is equal to the challenges of technology and the information age.”
The report of the National Assessment of Educational Progress is based on tests of 1.4 million students-ages 9, 13 and 17-in the four subjects in a project commissioned by Congress in 1969 to report on achievement of American schoolchildren.
Known as ”the nation`s report card,” the National Assessment of Educational Progress is directed and funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J. Although other ”report card” results have been issued over the years on individual subjects, Tuesday`s is the first comprehensive analysis of learning in all subjects tested.
While 94 percent of 9-year-olds can carry out simple reading tasks, only 39 percent of 17-year-olds can find, understand, summarize and explain relatively complicated information about topics they study in school. This failure, the report said, suggested that most high school graduates ”do not have the comprehension skills often needed in the world of higher education, business or government.”
In mathematics, 74 percent of 9-year-olds can add and subtract two-digit numbers and recognize relationships among coins. But only 16 percent of 13-year-olds can compute with decimals, fractions and percentages, recognize geometric figures and solve simple equations. Only 51 percent of 17-year-olds can demonstrate these skills, and only 6 percent can use basic algebra and solve multistep problems.
This failure has ”serious implications” for the nation because it is unlikely these students will be able to use mathematics to solve problems that will permeate their life and work, the report said.
Although 96 percent of 9-year-olds know everyday science facts, only 41 percent of 17-year-olds show the ability to analyze scientific procedures and information.
Just 7 percent of 17-year-olds can infer relationships and draw conclusions using detailed scientific knowledge.
The report said schools are not teaching students to use what they learn to interpret scientific results, noting that 41 percent of 17-year-olds never were asked to write about a science experiment they did in class.
”Considering the high demand for skilled technological personnel in our nation`s work force, these results are particularly troublesome,” the report said.
In writing, 85 percent of 4th graders performed at least minimally in an exercise in reporting information, but deficiencies evident among 8th graders worsened by the junior year in high school. Less than one-third of the high school students wrote adequately in exercises to rebut an opposing view, convince others or analyze information.
”The results suggest that a vast number of students nearing high school graduation do not have a sufficient command of written language to move beyond straightforward explication and communicate a reasoned point of view,” the report said.
One reason why so few students can think and communicate well may be that schools teach less difficult concepts and skills and neglect those that are more challenging, the report said.
It also faulted educators for perpetuating, especially in science, the
”layer cake” curriculum in which students study different areas, or layers, in isolation and then leave them behind for the rest of their school careers.
Over the years, National Assessment has gathered reports from both teachers and students on what happens in the classroom and has found a consistent pattern.
”Most students` school experiences are dominated by memorization of content presented by teacher or textbook, and by the practicing of skills in workbook or ditto exercises,” it said. ”Students are given limited opportunities to apply knowledge and procedures for new purposes.”
These patterns of instruction reflect a classroom practice based on digesting facts and isolated skills rather than on a growing body of reasoned knowledge, the report said.
For more thoughtful learning to occur, the report said, educators must find ways to involve students more as active rather than passive learners.
Discussion teams, cooperative work groups, individual learning journals and computer networking are among classroom activities necessary, and teachers must move away from their traditional authoritarian roles, it said.
