Jan. 18, 2018 -- CH-UH City School District Superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon spoke at a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday in conjunction with the release of a study that finds students in most nations cannot meet U.S. standardized testing benchmarks.
Dr. Dixon spoke at the press conference, held at the National Press Club, as a member of the National Superintendents Roundtable and a member of the Board of Directors of the Horace Mann League. The two organizations co-facilitated the press conference and the release of the report.
Dr. Dixon was joined by Martha Bruckner, President of the Horace Mann League; Randi Weingarten, President of AFT; Tom Gentzel, CEO of the National School Boards Association; Mort Sherman, Deputy Executive Director of AASA; and Johan Uvin, president of the Institute for Educational Leadership.
About the Report
A detailed report released on Wednesday concludes that the vast majority of students in most countries cannot demonstrate proficiency as defined by one of America’s most common educational tests. The authors of the analysis suggest the U.S. has established benchmarks that are neither useful nor credible.
In their report How High the Bar?, the National Superintendents Roundtable and Horace Mann League linked the performance of foreign students on international tests of reading, mathematics, and science to the proficiency benchmarks of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the United States’ longest continuing assessment of students. They also examined major assessments related to the Common Core.
The report notes that very few students in most nations would clear the NAEP proficiency bar the U.S. has set for itself in reading, math, and science:
- In no nation do a majority of students meet the NAEP Proficient benchmark in Grade 4 reading.
- Just three nations have 50 percent or more of their students meeting the Proficient benchmark in Grade 8 math (Singapore, Republic of Korea, and Japan).
- Only one nation has 50 percent or more of its students meeting the Proficient benchmark in Grade 8 science (Singapore).
Read the full report
About the Sponsors
The National Superintendents Roundtable is a community of school superintendents who learn, discuss and meet regularly with worldwide experts, sharing best practices and leading for the future. Dr. Dixon is one of four superintendents from the state of Ohio on the NSR.
The Horace Mann League is an association of educators committed to the principles of public education. Its members believe the U.S. public school system is an indispensable agency for strengthening democracy and a vital, dynamic influence in American life.