Evidence on Education under NCLB (and How Florida Boosted NAEP Scores and Reduced the Race Gap)

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has brought increased attention to the rating of school quality in terms of student performance on state math and reading tests. Because state tests are of uneven quality, the emphasis on test-based accountability has also focused more attention on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) as a check on state test results. In this paper I discuss why results on NAEP are dubious bases for reaching summary judgments regarding school quality. As one way of demonstrating this, I explain why the 2005 NAEP math grade 4 results for Florida are highly misleading. Implications for the reform of The No Child Left Behind Act has brought increased attention to the rating of school quality in terms of student performance on state math and reading tests. However, many observers have noted the weakness of rating school quality simply in terms of such measures. Doubts arise not just because of the non-comparability of state reading and math tests and ratings