[Krashen] NAEP scores are bad news for NCLB (corrected)

[Stephen Krashen's Mailing List]

To the editor:

Re:  “Education: Math scores rise, but reading sparks
concern,” October 20. 

A comment on your statement, “Additional NAEP data
released yesterday show that the gap continues to
shrink between the scores of students eligible and not
eligible for free and reduced-price school lunch, a
key measure of socioeconomic status.” This is not true
for scores between 2002 and 2005, which is very bad
news for No Child Left Behind (NCLB). 

No Child Left Behind, passed in 2001, went into effect
in 2002-2003. Since 2002, the gap between children of
poverty and children not in poverty has increased four
points in grade 4 reading, increased by one point in
grade 8 reading, and three points in grade 8 math. The
only decrease is grade 4 math, by six points. (The
usual gap between low poverty and non-poverty students
is between 25 and 30 points.)  Between 2003 and 2005,
the gap remained nearly exactly the same. 

This is serious. It means NCLB is not coming through
on its promise to level the playing field.  NCLB has
cost American taxpayers about 100 billion dollars. The
only ones to profit have been publishers who cash in
each time a new test or new set of workbook materials
is mandated. 

Stephen Krashen, PhD
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California