Back to Basics

by Mary Kane

The results are in – American students are improving when it comes to writing. Released yesterday were the results from the federally funded Nation’s Report Card on writing. The test was administered to more than 165,000 eighth- and twelfth- graders nationally, and provides a representative sample of how our nation’s schools are preparing our students when it comes to writing. Both eighth and twelfth graders scored higher than in the previous two rounds of assessments given in both 2002 and 1998. And moreover, our lowest performing students in both grades also made some of the biggest gains in the past five years. The bottom 10% of students in the twelfth grade averaged an 11 point increase.

"These overall results are encouraging, not just because writing skills are improving, but also because that improvement was most pronounced at the lower-achievement range," said Darvin M. Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees the test.

The news is even more encouraging to American business, given that companies and our postsecondary institutions are currently spending billions of dollars on remedial training.  A number of years ago, The U.S. Chamber joined forces with the Business Roundtable and others to form the Business Coalition for Student Achievement.  BCSA is committed to improving the performance of the K-12 education system in the U.S. and has been working diligently on strengthening and improving the “No Child Left Behind Act.”  These scores are directly related to the increased emphasis on reading skills, especially in our urban communities.  You cannot write without being proficient in reading. 

To see how students in your state performed, visit the Nation’s Report Card online.