New Study Suggests Missouri is Still Stuck in the Middle
By almost every academic outcome measure, Missouri’s educational system ranks in the middle of all the states. This shouldn’t shock long-time readers of the blog, as I’ve written about it here, here, and here. Despite efforts to get Missouri in the “Top 10 by 20,” it appears we may be falling further behind.
A new study by Matthew Chingos, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, examines the changes in scores from 2003 to 2013 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Chingos adds to this analysis by adjusting the growth according to each states changing demographics. It is no secret that some groups of students, such as students with special needs or students living in poverty, score lower on standardized exams.
When adjusting for state demographics, Missouri ranked 29th in overall performance on the 2013 NAEP. In terms of growth from 2003 to 2013, Missouri ranked in the bottom ten. In other words, we are not moving towards the top ten; we’re moving towards the bottom.
The 2015 NAEP results are being released today (Oct 28th.). Missouri appears to be no closer to the top ten than we have been in the past.
