How many of Florida's fourth-graders are good readers?
The National Assessment of Education Progress says 32 percent of our fourth-graders are proficient readers. Our own state FCAT test says 60 percent are reading at grade level.
Why the big difference?
The two tests serve different purposes, and results are reported differently.
The NAEP standards can be a lot tougher because there are no direct consequences for schoolchildren. NAEP exists to allow national comparisons among states.
In Florida, the state test is used to determine who is promoted to the next grade and who graduates, so the standards can't be too stringent.
For many states, grade level work corresponds not to the NAEP definition of proficient, but to the less demanding level of basic, according to Lawrence Feinberg, with the National Assessment Governing Board. (NAEP has four achievement levels: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. FCAT has five levels, with level three and above considered grade level work.)
Using that comparison, Florida's 60 percent on grade level easily matches the NAEP results that show 63 percent of Florida fourth-graders at the basic level or above.
"It's difficult to compare; the cutoffs don't match," said Frances Marine, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education. "What's fair is to look at the trends. Students are improving in both assessments."
