Are Flat Test Scores An Indictment Of Common Core?

The National Center for Education Statistics issued scores for the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on Tuesday. The math and reading results for grades 4 and 8 were flat when compared to 2015 scores.

Georgia students’ scores were slightly below the national average in all areas. In fourth-grade reading, 37 percent of students scored “proficient” nationally; just 35 percent of Georgia students achieved a “proficient” score. The only statistically significant score in Georgia is a 4-point increase in eighth-grade reading.

The stagnant performance raises questions about academic standards adopted in 2012. Georgia, and several other states, implemented the Common Core State Standards. Proponents said they would increase academic rigor and, eventually, student performance.