Education Week - September 2, 2020 - 12

QUALITY COUNTS 2020: Grading the States

Nation Shows Mediocre Academic
Performance as Pandemic Continues

K-12 ACHIEVEMENT
GRADES
TOP-RANKED
STATE

SCORE
(GRADE)

Massachusetts

85.0 B

New Jersey

83.0 B

Florida

79.6 B-

Virginia

76.4 C

Connecticut

76.0 C

By Sterling C. Lloyd & Xinchun Chen

mid unequal access to the digital devices, internet
service, and instructional support that enable remote
learning, the nation's academic achievement remains
stalled, with a baseline of uneven performance among both
low- and high-achieving states.
That's the context for the first full update of the Quality
Counts K-12 Achievement Index since 2018, on which the nation receives a grade of C.
The index, which makes up one-third of a state's overall
grade on the Quality Counts 2020 report card, is based largely
on 2019 results from the National Assessment of Educational
Progress, offering a detailed portrait of where student achievement stood prior to the pandemic.
It is calculated using 18 distinct indicators in three broad
categories: current achievement, trends over time, and poverty-based disparities. Results are determined by reading and
math test scores from NAEP, high school graduation rates, and
scores on Advanced Placement exams.
In 2019, only the high school graduation rates and AP
scores were updated because data from the NAEP assessments-based on tests administered every other year-
weren't available.
On this year's Achievement Index, the nation as a whole
scores 72.8 out of a possible 100 points, down 0.2 points since
last year. On a letter-grade basis, most states (31) earn marks
of between C and C-minus. But 17 states receive a D-plus or
lower.
Massachusetts (85.0) and New Jersey (83.0) lead the nation,
posting the only grades of B. At the other end of the spectrum,
Alaska gets the lowest score of 61.4, a D-minus. New Mexico
(61.7) receives the only other D-minus grade.
The EdWeek Research Center identified five key findings
from this year's analysis.

BOTTOM-RANKED
STATE

SCORE
(GRADE)

West Virginia

64.8 D

Louisiana

64.4 D

Alabama

64.0 D

New Mexico

61.7 D-

Alaska

61.4 D-

OVERALL K-12
ACHIEVEMENT
GRADES
MOST IMPROVED
STATE

SCORE
(GRADE)

CHANGE

Mississippi

69.3 D+

5.2 á

Nevada

73.2 C

4.1 á

Louisiana

64.4 D

3.7 á

Tennessee

74.1 C

2.7 á

District of Columbia

69.9 C-

2.6 á

STATE

SCORE
(GRADE)

CHANGE

New Hampshire

72.2 C-

-5.3 â

Virginia

76.4 C

-3.6 â

Massachusetts

85.0 B

-3.5 â

Iowa

66.6 D+

-3.4 â

Alabama

64.0 D

-3.1 â

2018 to 2019

LARGEST DECLINES
2018 to 2019

Massachusetts earns the top spot on the index
with the best overall test scores, but ranks
lower for equity based on disparities by poverty
status.
The Bay State ranks first in the current performance category. It places second in the nation, trailing only Minnesota,
for the percent of 4th graders proficient in math on the 2019
NAEP exams and finishes first in 8th grade math proficiency.
Similarly, it tops the charts for proficiency in 4th and 8th grade
reading.
However, the state ranks just 20th in the equity category. Performance disparities between students eligible and not eligible
for the national school lunch program remain relatively large.
For instance, Massachusetts ranks 37th for NAEP scale-score
differences between low-income students and their more-affluent peers in 8th grade math. Students from wealthier families score substantially higher -a gulf of 30.9 points separates
them from those living in poverty.
Other high-performing states also struggle with equity.
Connecticut, for example, ranks fifth in the nation on the
index, overall. But it falls to 50th for poverty-based disparities in
4th grade reading with a gap of 34.5 points and 49th in 8th grade
math due to a score differential of 37 points. Maryland, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania are also in the top 10 on the complete
index, but in the bottom tier for some equity measures.

Consistent performance across metrics is the
exception rather than the rule for states.
SOURCE: EdWeek Research Center, 2020

12 | EDUCATION WEEK | September 2, 2020 | www.edweek.org

Many states have areas of both strength and weakness on
the index. In fact, 24 states at some point rank in the top

10 for at least one broad component: current performance,
change over time, or equity. But 27 states rank in the bottom
10 in at least one of those categories. Almost all states (47)
finish in the top 10 for at least one of the index's 18 specific
indicators. Nearly the same number (48) fall in the bottom
10 for at least one of those metrics. Only Kansas, Montana,
Nebraska, and South Carolina were unable to crack the
top 10, and only Florida, Massachusetts, and Tennessee
were able to avoid a spot in the bottom group on any of the
categories.
The 18 indicators on the index provide 18 distinct stories. In
fact, 10 different states rank first in the nation on at least one
of the metrics.

Some high-performing states have boosted
student achievement over time.
Several states have been able to post solid rankings for both
current achievement and gains in student success over time.
Massachusetts stands in first place for current achievement
and takes the seventh spot in the improvement component of
the analysis. It's 10th, for instance, in NAEP scale-score gains
on 8th grade math exams where it improved by 8.0 points between 2003 and 2019.
New Jersey is second in the nation for current academic
results and third for its achievement trajectory over time. It's
fourth for NAEP scale-score gains in 8th grade math jumping
up by 10.4 points since 2003. Maryland and Pennsylvania are
also in the top 10 for current performance and the top 15 for
achievement trends.

Mississippi made the most progress in the
nation on the K-12 Achievement Index.
The state's score increased by 5.2 points since last year, fueled by increases in the percentage of 4th grade students proficient in reading and math on NAEP.
Nevada improved by 4.1 points on the index, the secondhighest gain in the nation. The state's grade rose from a D-plus
to a C, propelled largely by advances in 4th grade reading and
math.
Scores also improved by more than 2.5 points in Louisiana
(3.7), Tennessee (2.7), and the District of Columbia (2.6). The
District has also made strides in achievement over a longer
period. It posts by far the nation's largest scale-score gains on
NAEP in 4th grade reading (25.9) and math (29.7) since 2003.
Mississippi has the second-largest gains in those areas, 13.9 and
17.8 points, respectively.
New Hampshire (-5.3), Virginia (-3.6), Massachusetts (-3.5),
Iowa (-3.4), and Alabama (-3.1) all saw their overall index scores
decline by more than three points.

Disparities on NAEP narrowed markedly in four
states, but widened substantially in others.
The 4th grade reading scale-score difference between students in low-income families and their wealthier peers narrowed by more than four points in just four states from 2003
to 2019: Illinois (-6.9), Mississippi (-5.4), Nevada (-4.8), and
Florida (-4.4). In 8th grade math, only Illinois (-7.7) closed the
gap by more than four points. By contrast, disparities in 4th
grade reading widened by 11.1 points in Oregon and 17.2 points
in the District of Columbia. In 8th grade math, gaps grew by
11.2 points in Ohio, 11.3 points in Washington, and 23.7 points
in the District of Columbia.
The coronavirus pandemic has heightened concerns that
such gaps in academic performance might expand further due
to inequality in access to remote learning and technology. n

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Education Week - September 2, 2020

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