Below average in math
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math scores have been released, and not surprisingly Nevada's students find themselves below the national average. In more bad news, the achievement gap between white and black students has increased. By fourth grade, white students in Nevada have a two-year reading advantage over black students.
There is some good news. The achievement gap between wealthy and low-income students has decreased. The achievement gap between whites and Hispanics has also decreased. The gap is still very large as, by the fourth grade, white students are a year ahead of Hispanic students. Finally, while test scores across the nation have tended to stagnate, Nevada's students have made modest progress.
Education is far from perfect in Nevada, and we need some serious reform - like more charter schools, vouchers, tuition tax credits, alternative teacher certification, and bans on social promotion - but at least there is some good news on the education front.
Read NPRI's commentary titled "Math scores mixed" to learn more about Nevada's achievement on the NAEP math scores.
