StatChat Transcript for Talking About The Nation's Report Card: 2001 U.S. History results.

Talking About The Nation's Report Card: 2001 U.S. History results.

Hello, and welcome to today's StatChat on the NAEP 2001 U.S. history results for the nation. I hope you've had time to look at the results on the website. I'm sure that you have many questions regarding today's release, so let's get right to them...

Phyllis asked:
Which states participated in this National study?
Peggy Carr:	Phyllis, most states participated in the National study. The national sample is designed to produce national results and not state results. Peggy

Linval A. Foster from Albany, NY asked:
In the review of the data was there any significant difference shown between the traditional higher achieving schools in the suburban areas and the lower achieving schools in the urban areas?
Peggy Carr:	Linval, as you will note on page 45 of the Nation's Report Card, students in urban fringe(suburban)schools score at a higher level than city schools at all three grades. Peggy

Diane Fieldman from Greenwood Village, Colorado asked:
I would like to ask why we have not disaggregated gifted and talented scores. We have students who do not score advanced on anything any longer and continue to receive separate all day programs, pull outs for advanced math or language arts, and some special schools. Please tell us why this data is not separated and how you could possibly compare scores to children in GT classes of 6 to 25 while GT children are given advanced rigorous academics and other advanced students are held to grade level?
Peggy Carr:	Diane, there are data on gifted and talented programs available on NAEP's data tool. I suggest that you enter the word "gifted" in the "keyword search" and the data tool will show what information is available. Thanks, Peggy

Diana from San Diego, CA asked:
Do you think that NAEP standards will eventually become national standards?
Peggy Carr:	Diana, no, they will not. The NAEP frameworks are in no way intended or designed to be curricular or instructional standards. Peggy

Louise from San Jose, CA asked:
There are several examples of U.S. History questions in the new publications, but are there more available in a format that teachers could use (with scoring guides)?
Peggy Carr:	Louise, You are in luck! A large number of NAEP history questions are available on the NAEP website. If you go to the home page, look for the heading entitled "NAEP Questions". Search for U.S. History questions where you will find questions, scoring guides, student responses, and performance information. Peggy

Christina from Charleston, SC asked:
Are state samples comparable from time to time?
Peggy Carr:	Christina, the 2001 U.S. History assessment did not include state samples. The national sample is comparable across time. Peggy

Melissa Stallings from Santa Barbara, CA asked:
How do you explain the low scores for 12th graders?
Peggy Carr:	Melissa, the NAEP design does not allow us to make conclusions about cause and effect relationships. However, NAEP has numerous contextual background variables that will tell you about associations between different instructional practices and student performance. Peggy

Rick Shenkman from Seattle, WA asked:
What was the most appalling finding? That is: What do our 17 year olds not know that shocked you?
Peggy Carr:	Rick, I am not in a position to make a judgment about what is appalling. However, you can review how well students performed on released items on NAEP's website. Look for the "NAEP Questions" heading and search for U.S. History questions. Peggy

Tom Klein from Carson City, NV asked:
What do you consider the most significant finding of this assessment?
Peggy Carr:	Tom, I am not in a position to say what is the most "significant" findings. But if you would like a quick highlight of the major findings, I suggest that you consult the "Highlights", which is available for downloading on the web. Peggy

George from Warren, Ohio asked:
How do these results compare to the results that came out in June comparing the US to other countries from around the world. I believe it was called "civics" in that one.
Peggy Carr:	George, this assessment measured U.S. student knowledge of U.S. History. No students in other countries took this assessment. Because of this difference and differences in content, the results of this assessment are not comparable to the international civic assessment. Peggy

Brett Taylor from The New York Times asked:
Could you please define for me what is meant by advanced, proficient and basic?
Peggy Carr:	Brett, the policy definitions are found on page 2 of the Highlights Reports and they are: Basic - This level denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade. Proficient: This level represents solid academic performance for each grade assessed. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter. Advanced: This level signifies superior performance. The specific descriptions of the U.S. History achievement levels can be found page 10-12 of the Nation's Report Card, which can be downloaded from the web. Peggy

Dianne from Urbandale, IA asked:
Were the trends seen with computer use, specifically that general computer use was negatively related to performance while using the internet to research projects was positively related similar to that seen in other subjects (i.e. science)?
Peggy Carr:	Dianne, good question. However, we did not ask the same computer questions in all years. Check the NAEP web site data tool to see what you can find for Science that is comparable. Peggy

Ed from Panama City, Florida asked:
What data in the new report might be most useful in writing a federal Teaching American History grant?
Peggy Carr:	Ed, I cannot help you with the specifics of your question, but check the NAEP website for information about U.S. History teaching. Peggy

Thanks for all the excellent questions. Unfortunately, I could not get to all of them, but please feel free to contact members of the NAEP staff, if you need further assistance. I hope that you found this session to be helpful and the reports to be interesting.

Back to StatChat Home