Investigation Result: American Students better at basic writing skills
Investigation Result: American Students better at basic writing skills
More and more middle- and high-school students have the basics of writing down, but there’s been no increase in the ranks of top-performing teenage writers.
The federal government released the scores Thursday of writing tests given to eighth- and 12th-graders nationwide last year. As in the past, girls demonstrated better writing skills than boys at both grade levels.
Teacher Linda Terrones talks to eighth grader Ellecia Johnson during class in Tacoma, Wash., last week. A federal writing test shows more teens across the USA improving their basic writing skills. In fact, eighth-grade scores rose modestly from the last time the test, known as the Nation’s Report Card, was given in 2002.
ON THE WEB: Fulll report on writing results
Overall, eighth-grade scores rose modestly from the last time the test, known as the Nation’s Report Card, was given in 2002.
The proportion of kids scoring at or above the basic level rose from 85% to 88%. At that level, students show they can use grammar, spelling and punctuation that are accurate enough to communicate to a reader, but there may be mistakes in their work that get in the way of its meaning.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Nation | Education Department | College Board | Report Card | Mark Schneider
The percentage of eighth-graders at or above the proficient level — which policymakers call the goal — was unchanged from five years earlier. About a third of eighth graders achieved the “proficient” label.
If there are errors in the writing of an eighth-grader working at the proficient level, they’re not serious enough to get in the way of the work’s meaning.
The eighth-grade test results were broken down by state. North Carolina was the only state to see scores go down compared to 2002.
The test given to high-school seniors wasn’t broken down by state.
Nationally, the percentage of 12th-graders scoring at or above the basic level showed a more dramatic jump, rising from 74% to 82% from 2002 to 2007.
That kind of progress hasn’t generally been seen among high-school seniors in other subjects, said Mark Schneider, commissioner of education statistics at the Education Department.
One possible reason for the solid improvements in 12th-grade writing may have to do with the SAT exam. A writing portion was added to the college entrance exam in 2005, and since then teachers report greater focus on writing in their schools, according to a survey by the College Board, which runs the SAT.
There was no increase in the number of 12th-graders working at or above the proficient level since 2002. About a fourth of 12th-graders are considered proficient writers. At that level, students know how to write a clear introduction and conclusion, among other things.
“Writing is a fundamentally important task,” Schneider said. “We still have a long way to go, but American students have gotten better.”
“America believes in education. The average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.” (Evan Esar )
Woodwaps: I apologize for not answering your question sooner. I had to go to work and missed your question. My reference to the King of Verona was the “punishment” everyone endures by a lack of better than basic writing skills. Primary school instructors in my area do not teach “writing”. The students are taught to “print”, and are left with the personal option of learning “cursive” if they care. I also find the writing requirements in order to pass ridiculously low. This will eventually “punish” everyone that cares about the written word. My opinion. I will take more care with my posts in the future.
My daughter is in 4th grade at the moment. I’m shocked at the amount of U.S. History she just flat out does not know. Maybe I should have clued in earlier, but its only recently really come to my attention. The reason for this is because per “No Child Left Behind”, they focus so much on math and reading that social studies and other things get thrown down the toilet……………………….
You are right about No child left behind but may not be on the history part - read the book “Lies my teacher told me”.
THis isn’t a surprise. Our educational system is now designed to bring the lower learning segment up to “standards” while not addressing needs of the brightest students. This will create a nation of C+ adults wtih no to few critial thinkers. In case you can’t tell I think the system stinks.
This really is a surprise! I was thinking that with all the text messaging spelling shortcuts that kids today would be less likely to write correctly.
I think this new age of e-slang acts as an errosive force on basic language skills.
I suppose it is natural, but all this “C U L8R” junk is a study in “language has no rules”. Even full grown adults are dragging down the litteracy level with abuse of the poor apostrophe. When did the public at large forget that plural nouns DON’T get spelled “plural noun’s”? Half the e-mails I get have questions without question marks at the end, and all manner of grevious punctuation errors.
I am afraid that my spelling still suffers a bit, but I’d like to think I take some effort to treat the written language with respect. I agree with Lonzrick that it can be depressing.
What an age we live in…
I am sick and tired of hearing of reports telling the American public how their children lag behind in reading, writing, math, and science. They are all propaganda by interest groups. Today, on the way home on a bus, I hear a group of students talking to each other of a lack of a future for them in America. For the last 8 years, unaccounted millions of jobs have disappeared in America. What is the future for these youngsters when they graduate from high schools and colleges? NOTHING! They are lucky if they can find jobs working at McDonald or Wal Mart. Then they will have to compete with over 11 millions of illegal immigrants who cannot even write and read English proficiently. By the way, statistically, China and India have a far higher illiteracy rate than the United States.
My daughter is in 4th grade at the moment. I’m shocked at the amount of U.S. History she just flat out does not know. Maybe I should have clued in earlier, but its only recently really come to my attention. The reason for this is because per “No Child Left Behind”, they focus so much on math and reading that social studies and other things get thrown down the toilet.
All of it makes me think that the entire purpose of that law was to make a generation of kids that don’t have a clear concept of what liberty means or that our founding fathers fought and died for a *free* country. To make them more malleable and susceptible to tyrants like Bush and Cheney in the future.
Maybe I’m totally off base on that, and as usual, lawmakers didn’t bother to actually think thing through when they put that in place.
All I know for sure is that my daughter is going to be spending part of her summer learning about the Declaration of Independance and the Constitution.
Its getting pretty sad when, if you want and educated child, you’ve got to do supplemental home schooling to make sure they know basic things.
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