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An Analysis of Wisconsin's 2019 NAEP Results

New results from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), sometimes called "the nation's report card," revealed troubling and persistent concerns about education in the Badger State. Research Director Will Flanders highlights three critical takeaways.

Wisconsin’s Racial Achievement Gap is Persistent and Troubling

The 2019 NAEP results reveal, once again, the racial achievement gap in Wisconsin was the widest of any participating state and jurisdiction besides Washington D.C. In practice, the NAEP scores indicate that 8th grade African Americans in Wisconsin are performing academically just one grade ahead of 4th grade white students.

Milwaukee Charters Continue to Outperform MPS by a Wide Margin

According to the NAEP, Milwaukee’s charter schools are performing much better than traditional MPS district schools. In 4th grade math, Milwaukee charter schools scored 235 on the NAEP — relatively close to the state average for 4th graders of 242. MPS schools scored a 212. 10 points on the NAEP equates to approximately a grade level of progress, indicating that charter school students in Milwaukee are about two grades ahead of their public school peers.

Proficiency Rates Flat Despite Spending Increases

Wisconsin has invested a record amount of money into public education in the last two state budgets. Despite this continuing growth in education funding, there is little evidence of an impact on the academic performance of Wisconsin students. Since 2003–200, NAEP scores in math have remained relatively unchanged — ranging from a high point of 245 in 2011 to a low of 241 in 2005.

A report earlier this year from WILL found no relationship between the amount of money a school district spends and student achievement, consistent with national studies. To improve test scores, Wisconsin doesn’t need more money. It needs innovation and proven solutions.

"3 Critical Takeaways From Wisconsin’s 2019 NAEP Results", Will Flanders, October 30, 2019
"A Roadmap to Student Achievement", CJ Szafir, Libby Sobic, and Will Flanders, January 2019
"Truth in Spending: An Analysis of K-12 Spending in Wisconsin", Will Flanders, March 2019